How Asian Countries Commemorate Valentine’s Day

Just as how many countries around the world celebrate love and romance on February 14th, several Asian countries have their own unique ways of acknowledging the special holiday. 

In America, when most people think of Valentine’s  Day, one of the first things that comes to mind is chocolate. Cause what would the romantic holiday be without some chocolate right? Well, many South Koreans would definitely agree with this notion. In South Korea it is traditional for chocolate to be given to loved ones on the 14th of February, however, unlike America where the men traditionally give the gifts (not always!), in South Korea it is the women who are responsible for wooing the men on this day. The men then return the favor a month later on a different holiday, known as White Day. When compared to other countries, such as Japan, it has been said that Korean women are known for the high amounts of chocolate they shower on the men in their life on Valentine’s Day.

The Japanese version of Valentine’s Day also centers around chocolate, (because what else matters, right?!). Another similarity to South Korea is that the women are also the typical gift givers on this day. Unlike the United States, gifts of flowers, cards, or dinner dates are not terribly common and almost all of the gift giving focuses on chocolate. Another difference from the United States is that the gifts are not just giving to one’s romantic interests, but friends, family, and even coworkers. The amount of chocolate given to the man signifies how much he means to the woman and how important he is to her. Many female friends will exchange chocolate between them, a candy called “tomo-choko”, tomo literally meaning friend. But don’t worry, women aren’t the only ones who do the gift giving for Valentine’s Day. Men are expected to return the favor to whomever gave them chocolates by giving them a gift that is twice the cost of the chocolates. So everyone gets to feel special for Valentine’s Day. The romantic date night that many Westerners associate the holiday with is actually celebrated by many Japanese couples on Christmas Eve, a long standing tradition. Valentine’s Day wasn’t introduced to the country till 1936, as an advertising ploy to foreigners, but since then the celebration has really caught on. 

Unlike the rest of the world, Chinese couples prefer to celebrate their version of Valentine’s Day on a day other than February 14th. Chinese Valentine’s Day, also known as Qi Qiao Jie, occurs on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Chocolates, candies, cards, and flowers are not typically exchanged on this day, but there are still many other romantic customs and gestures associated with their most romantic holiday. 

In the past, colorful "shrines" made of paper, fresh fruit, and flowers are put up in as a tribute to the first two lovers of Qi Qiao Jie. There are two legends which surround the origins of the holiday, both involving the position of the stars on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Like most of the Chinese holidays and festivals, there are many myths and legends, and a deep history behind this celebration of love. 

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How the World Celebrates Valentine’s Day

Everyone in the United States is aware of how many in this country spend each February 14th, buying flowers, eating chocolate, and pouring your heart out to someone- but did you know that many other countries have their own Valentine’s Day traditions too? Surprisingly, February 14th seems to be a day of love in a large number of places across the world, including Scotland, Australia, Denmark, Britain, Germany, Italy and more. It is very interesting to read about holiday traditions for expressing ones love and affection on this day in other parts of the world and compare them to our own customs. 

In Italy, it was once a custom for couples to formally announce their engagements to family and friends on February 14th- making it a very special day for fiancées everywhere. To commemorate the special day, stores would be decorated several days in advance and filled with all kinds of sweet treats, especially bonbons, the traditional treat of the holiday. 

Scotland likes to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a huge festival. Present at the festival, there are an equal number of single males and females, all looking for love. Each male writes their name on a piece of paper which is folded and placed into a hat. The ladies are then asked to draw a name from the hat and spend the rest of the festival with the name she selects. After making an acquaintance the man presents the lady with a small gift and the ladies pin a heart shaped piece of paper with the man’s name written on it on to their sleeve. Another Scottish custom or legend says that that the first young woman or man encountered by chance will become that person’s valentine. A common gift exchanged between couples on this day is a traditional love-knot.

In Germany, couples also present their significant other with love tokens on February 14th to show their affection. In addition to the small love tokens, is has become customary for men to buy a bouquet of flowers for their partner on this day.

In some areas of Britain, it is custom to bake valentine buns with caraway seeds, plums or raisins. Another annual tradition includes giving children gifts of candy, money, or fruit after they have sung a special song. Poems associated with Saint Valentine are extremely popular on this day throughout the area, and are thought of as the best romantic versus. Much like in America, cards, flowers, and chocolates have become quite popular gifts for loved ones. 

In Australia, exchanging gifts with loved ones is customary as well, but rather than chocolates or flowers, Australians present their significant others with other types of gifts. Dating back to the Australian gold rush period, minors who found themselves suddenly with large amounts of money had no problem spending a lot of money on their loved ones for Valentine’s Day. From this came some rather extravagant traditional gifts, such as colored shells, satin cushions perfumed and decorated, and maybe even a taxidermied humming bird. 

People in Denmark like to be playful and have some fun on Valentine’s Day rather than be very serious and romantic. There is a custom of sending your beloved what is referred to in Denmark as “a lover’s card”, but it is also tradition to send pressed white flowers, called snow drops, to friends and family members. Many men send valentines called the joking letter, or gaekkebrev in Danish, which contains a poem but no signature. Instead of signing his name, he puts a dot for each letter in his name. The receiver of the card has to guess who sent it, and if she is right she is rewarded later in the year with an Easter egg. 

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