Valentine’s Day in Different Countries:
There are a lot of stories about how Valentines Day started, and they are different in every country. The Valentines day celebrated today has Christian and ancient Roman origins. What we can be sure was that there was a priest named Saint Valentine. This priest served at the temple during the rule of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was having a hard time recruiting men as soldiers during that time. He thought that the reason behind that was that the men were getting married and were reluctant to leave their wives. Claudius outlawed all marriages throughout Rome. However, he soon found out that Saint Valentine was secretly getting young men and women married. Saint Valentine was caught, arrested and condemned to death. He was beheaded on February 14th around the year 270.
Another legend states that Saint Valentine was a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity as his religion. This happened on 14th February 269 A.D. presently, the Roman church recognizes three different Saint Valentines, all who were martyred. In the time this Saint Valentine spent in prison before being killed, he is said to have helped Christians escape punishments from Roman prisons. One of our Saint Valentine is said to have fallen in love with the Jailor’s daughter. Saint Valentine is said to have left for her a farewell note that said- “from your Valentine.”
In ancient Rome 14th February was a holiday to honor the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses, Juno. A feast was held on this day, the feast of Lupercalia, said to heathen god. During this time boys and girls were still segregated but had developed a custom of writing the girl’s name on slips of paper and putting them in jars. A boy would then pick a slip of paper and would be the girl’s partner for the rest of the evening.
Let’s look at how Valentines Day is celebrated in some countries.
Japan:
The custom here is somewhat different than what has been heard. Here, the ladies buy chocolates for the men. A chocolate named Kiri-choco is bought for friends and close relatives. This chocolate has no romantic significance except that it is given with love. Another kind of chocolate, by the name of hon-mei is especially bought for boyfriends and husbands and is taken as a romantic gift. A month later men are required to return the favor by giving chocolate to all the women who remembered them on Valentines Day, on white day, which is March 14th. The chocolate given on this day because of the name of the day is white.
Britain:
Of the different popular customs in Britain, writing love poems and the matters of your heart in your own words is the most interesting ways to honor Saint Valentine, also called the patron of love. In parts of UK, everything is readied for the day and all magazines and tabloids make sure that they print their tributes, in the form of sonnets and verses, to commemorate the day.
Austria and Germany:
In countries like Austria and Germany, it has become like a tradition for men to buy their beloved ones flowers on Valentine’s Day. However, the thing with this tradition is that men have to pay close attention to not only what kind of flowers their wives or girlfriends like but also the type of fragrance they prefer. Roses, however, remain the most romantic flower, internationally.
Denmark:
Denmark has perhaps has one of the more interesting traditions. The custom of the white flower is celebrated with immense care. As per tradition, people send their loved ones white flowers, called snowdrops. Another tradition requires young people to write love poems, beautiful love notes, and even funny poems known as, wait for it, “Gaekkebrev”. The sender of this gekkebrev writes his love a rhyme but does not sign his name. In the place of his name he writes a series of dots. The girl must guess who he is, and if she does, she is rewarded with an Easter egg that year.