Valentine’s Day - How do you say it in your language?

Different countries paint the town red with their unique cultures on 14th February — Valentine’s Day.

How is it celebrated in your country?

Korea - haengboghan ballentain dei (행복한 발렌타인 데이)

 

Westerners may be excited for the 14th of February, but lovers in Korea are excited for the 14th of every month. Valentine’s day is celebrated on the 14th of February, while related romantic events take place on the 14th of the other months throughout the year. 

On Diary Day (14th January), couples give each other diaries or year planners to mark the special dates they have been planning for the coming year. 

On Valentine's Day, it is the ladies who give their partners. They may also offer gifts to their friends and colleagues, but with a slight variance.

Partners receive chocolates as gifts, that are either exclusively different from the rest of the chocolates and candies in the shop or are homemade. If the woman is interested in the guy, and they are not together yet, it's seen as a gesture, where she expresses her romantic intentions and desires. 

How do you distinguish the chocolates?

Obligatory chocolates mostly come in a square box and are gifted to acquaintances or colleagues out of courtesy, known as Giri choco.

On the other hand, Honmei choco, known as 'love chocolate,' is given with romantic interests.

 

And how do you say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ in Korean? 

It goes: haengboghan ballentain dei (행복한 발렌타인 데이)

 

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

Japanese - Shiawasena barentaindē (幸せなバレンタインデー)

 

Valentine's day is a day of endearment for people to express their love in an affectionate way, which usually means showering them with gifts or planning to take them on the perfect date. In Japan as well, it is the women who are expected to be the principal gift-giver. Not just to their partner, but also to men with whom they share any kind of significant relationship.

 

Another big difference is the kind of gift given: while cards, flowers, jewellery or expensive dinners are all considered fair game for Valentine Day in many countries, there is only one acceptable option in Japan: lots and lots of chocolate.

 

Japanese confectionery manufacturers soon saw the potential for the holiday among local consumers and began marketing heart-shaped chocolates as a way for women to express ‘kokuhaku’ (the act of confessing feelings), something that was considered taboo at the time.

 

Soon the tradition caught on, and many even credit the introduction of the custom as a turning point in the way that Japanese men and women interact with each other.

 

Photo by Isabelle Taylor from Pexels

Mandarin - Qīxìjié (七夕节)

 

Chinese Valentine Day is celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Also called Qixi Festival (literally: “Evening of Sevens Festival”), this unique celebration of love is deeply rooted in Chinese folklore and is based on the romantic legend of Zhinü (織女 Zhīnǚ) and Niulang (牛郎 Niúláng).

 

Although not an official Chinese holiday, Qixi has over 2,000 years of history and is widely celebrated by couples throughout China. It even has its respective versions in Japan and Korea.

 

The Chinese Valentine Day is traditionally a time for couples to express their love, which they usually do with an array of elaborate gifts and gestures. Like any romantic holiday, couples spend time together, enjoy a nice dinner, exchange gifts, go to the cinema, etc.

 

Qixi Festival brings an air of romanticism to the streets of China, with couples gazing into the night sky in search of the stars Vega and Altair. 

 

Valentine Day is mainly popular amongst younger generations as it is an import from the West, and it is celebrated a bit differently in China, too. Usually, women give chocolate to their partners to show appreciation and love. Men are expected to return the favour one month later.

 

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

German - fröhlichen Valentinstag

 

Celebrating Valentine’s Day has only become popular within the last few decades. 

 

In Germany, there are several traditions Germans have taken on wholeheartedly. This includes giving cards, sweet treats and flowers to their loved ones on this special day. 

 

There is a curious twist to Valentine’s symbols in Germany: little pigs offering flowers, or others laying down on chocolate hearts rather provocatively. There is a double meaning there: that of luck and love. 

 

Sometimes with the Valentine, there are some pigs holding a four-leaf clover while climbing a little ladder on a heart. 

 

There is another interesting attribute of Valentine’s Day in Germany – big ginger cookies, made in the shape of a heart and decorated with frosting. 

 

They usually contain a few words written on them expressing one’s feelings, or even more straightforward messages describing the lover’s intentions. 

 

These cookies are available for sale before Christmas too, but they are the most popular on Valentine’s Day.

 

Photo by Anna Tarazevich from Pexels

French - Joyeuse saint Valentin

 

La Saint-Valentin or Valentine’s Day has become a commercial celebration spread across Western Europe and today it revolves around the giving of cards and gifts to the one you love. But where does this tradition come from? Do the French do it differently?

 

The first recorded French Valentine greeting was allegedly sent by the Duke of Orleans who, imprisoned in the Tower of London, is said to have sent poems and love letters to his wife in France.

 

Traditionally the French celebrated Valentine’s Day with “une loterie d’amour”. This custom saw single people in France standing outside houses calling out for other singletons until they eventually paired off together. If the male were not particularly attracted to his new suitor he would leave her. 

 

All of the single women who had been left would then gather to make a fire and burn images of the men that had abandoned them. This ceremony, whilst rather therapeutic for the single women involved, soon got out of hand and was banned by the French government.

 

Contemporary Valentine’s Day traditions have changed and now revolve around the giving of gifts. French florists turnover what they would usually make in a week on Valentine’s Day, with 80 percent of their sales being roses.

 

There is, in fact, a village called St Valentin in Indre that is named after St Valentine himself. The village thus holds many events dedicated to this celebration of love on this amorous day including numerous marriage vow renewals. This year ‘le village des amoureux’ is hosting a spectacle including the presentation of certificates to lovers, a lunch and a concert, engraving hearts for the Tree of Hearts, and the sale of speciality chocolate and jewellery!

 

Photo by Loe Moshkovska from Pexels

Spanish - Feliz día de San Valentín

 

St. Valentine’s Day, known in Spanish as El Día de San Valentín, is celebrated in Spain in a similar way to the rest of the world – couples and lovers go out for dinner, buy each other fancy gifts and just generally celebrate being in love. 

 

In Verona, Italy, the home of Romeo & Juliet, millions of letters arrive addressed to Juliet asking for love advice, while in Portugal it is still typical to wear beautifully embroidered scarves for the day.

 

Of all the traditional holidays in Spain, San Valentín is by no means the most important, but there are some curious and interesting facts about Valentine’s Day in Spain that you should know about.

 

Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, an Italian born in the Umbria region in 174 BC, who was canonised by the Catholic Church. 

 

Spaniards have a great appreciation for Catholic holidays thanks to their history as a traditionally Catholic country, and every single day in the calendar is named after a saint, sometimes even two. 

 

This particular saint, who symbolises health, kindness and love (Valentine literally means “healthy”) is usually represented with a palm leaf and a sword, symbols of matrimonial union.

 

Photo by Anete Lusina from Pexels

Valentine's Day is heavily celebrated wherever you are in the world. A day of celebrating love and expressing true feelings.

Which language did you wish Happy Valentine’s Day to your favourite person?

Why not learn to say it in different languages?

 

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