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Did You Know?
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love in most countries and regions of the world. But every country has its own unique way to celebrate and the celebration may occur at a different time of year. In North America, February 14th is our day devoted to love.
Around the World on Valentine’s Day
In South Korea and Japan, the custom seems to be reversed. It is the women who give chocolate to the men on February 14. But the gift giving is reciprocal. The men give non-chocolate candies to the women on March 14, known as White Day.
In Japan, women traditionally give chocolate to their co-workers on Valentine’s Day and it is known that many Japanese chocolate companies make about half their yearly income at this time.
In Korea, there is even a strong stigma for those who did not receive any gift. It is said that a month later, on April 14, known as Black Day, those who did not receive anything on the two gift giving days will go to a restaurant and order black noodles to symbolize the sorry state of being single.
In Taiwan, the gift giving is reversed. Men give Valentine’s Day gifts and women reciprocate on White Day.
But in China, it is the man who gives chocolate and flowers to his beloved woman.
It seems that Hindu and Islamic traditionalists in India as well as many extremists in the Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran consider Valentine’s Day and the giving of these gifts as “cultural contamination from the West.” In these cultures they prohibit the public display and admission of love. No wonder the extremists do not understand our Western way of life and love.
In Israeli culture, there is a day marked as the festival of love, although it is at a different time during the year.
In most of Latin America, Valentine’s Day is known as a Day of Love and Friendship.
In Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and Costa Rica, people show appreciation for their friends.
And in many Latin American countries there is also a tradition of giving an anonymous gift to a “Secret Friend,” often one who is randomly chosen.
European countries also celebrate Valentine’s Day but with varying specific customs.
In Denmark and Norway, couples may share a romantic dinner.
In Finland it is more a day of remembering friends.
In Lithuania and Latvia, people often put stickers on the faces and clothing of a friend;
And in most regions of the UK, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with flowers, chocolates and gifts just as in North America.
The specific way to celebrate love may be different in each country or region, but the goal is to express and feel that love.
I believe that nothing is more important than love for growing and thriving in this lifetime. And nothing is more healing and powerful than the love you feel for yourself.
Who is the person that matters most to you in this world?
YOU
What can you do NOW to show that you love YOU?
Send yourself an adoring Valentine. Buy yourself a beautiful heart shaped chocolate.
Don’t spend another Valentine’s Day feeling alone, lonely, unappreciated by your partner, unloved and unloving. You deserve to feel the love that is your birthright and is all around you when your heart is truly open.
FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE 30 DAY LOVE CHALLENGE
In the meantime….
READ A LOVING AND HEALING BOOK
LEARN HOW TO HEAL THROUGH LOVE
GO DEEPER INTO HEALING THROUGH LOVE
Let this be YOUR YEAR FOR LOVE.
With love and a huge Valentine’s Day hug,
Warmly,
Dr. Erica Goodstone
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Remembering friend on Valentine’s Day is lovely. Some people get nothing on the day so it’s a great day to show you care about someone.
Enjoy the journey!
Mandy,
Many people just view Valentine’s Day as a commercial enterprise.
But we can use it as a time to acknowledge and show appreciation for our friends, family
and anyone we care about.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
That was an interesting read! I’d never heard about the black noodles before. April 14 was a day of rejoicing in our family 50 years ago, when my younger sister was born. Especially for me, since I had to wait almost 12 years with 3 brothers in between, for my one and only sister! Now that was a special kind of love for sure!
Hi Willena,
So April 14th was your special Valentine Day. My birthday is 2 days later, April 16th. It was fun for me to read about the way that different cultures celebrate Valentine’s Day. I never even realized it was almost a universal day that is celebrated.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hi Dr. Erika,
So many interesting ways people celebrate Valentine’s Day in the world! It’s kind of sad about the black noodles and those extremist countries.
Glad we celebrate!
Thanks for sharing,
Lillian
Yes Lillian,
It is sad that there is shame and negativity attached to the wonderful sentiment of love – feeling love, showing love and sharing it openly with friends and family and intimate partners.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hello Dr. Erica
Great to see how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in different countries. The black noodles day was rather odd. It seems that love is universal, but the ways of showing it differ from country to country.
Great to read about the differences.
Thanks for sharing!
Kathryn,
That is why multicultural counseling and diversity are receiving so much attention lately.
We have to appreciate that we are all human, we all crave love, but we have different customs and
ways to express that love. And it is all valid and needs to be accepted and respected.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
This is fascinating, Erica. I enjoy reading about the customs of different cultures. I’m surprised that White Day hasn’t spread to the west in some form – an opportunity for confectionery companies to sell more 🙂
Black day sounds like an ideal way for singles to get together. I had to go and read more about this and it seems that South Korea has an unofficial event, celebrating love, on each 14th day of the month – Rose day, kiss day, hug day etc.
Sue,
I love that South Korea has special love days on the 14th of every month.
Maybe they can send some of that love to North Korea which seems to focus on control and possible destruction.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
How interesting Dr. Erica I had no idea this was such a Universal tradition
I loved reading about all the different traditions and I found it fascinating that so many involved chocolates and/or flowers.
On a sad note I am completely unable to share this article as your sharing buttons totally prevent me from doing so and have done n the past as well. I thought it was just me but I see this post is little shared so it may be your sharing plugin
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day
To the top
Mary
Mary,
Thanks for letting me know that there is some sort of problem with my sharing button.
I’ll have to check into this.
Warmly,
Erica
Hi Dr.Erica,
I like that there is a day of remembering and spreading love.
And I realized that the people do not know the real roots of Valentines day,
it did spread more because it was a good commercial,but anyways I like
it if it remembers on being kind and loving. As far as I know, they may be extremists, more maybe the governments, in some countries who are against it, but I did learn more about Valentines day, Friendship, and pure loving kindness from people in Iran, India and some Islamic countries, than from other parts of the world 🙂
Valentines Day has its origin in Italia.
Thank you for letting us know of all the many traditions 🙂
Erika
Erika,
You always provide different insights from your having lived in different countries.
Thanks for sharing about the warmth and kindness you experienced in India and some
Islamic countries. You are right, it is the extremists that seem to be anti-love.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hi Dr Erica,
What a fascinating post to learn all about Valentine’s Day in other countries and cultures.
Hmmm, not sure about receiving non-chocolate candies….
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Joy
Joy,
I agree. Chocolates are the candy of choice, for sure.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Interesting and enlightening ..
I thought Valentine’s Day was something just the USA celebrated … didn’t like the sound of “Black noodles”. Learning about different cultures is really interesting, thank you Erica
Lesly,
I also thought that Valentine’s Day was only celebrated in the U.S.
It was fun to read about all the different traditions.
Hi Erica
Great to know how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in different countries. Really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for sharing!
Sonal,
It was fun reading about the differing traditions and sharing it.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hi Erica,
How fascinating the history of Valentine’s Day is 🙂 Very interesting how certain countries celebrate it in different ways 🙂 Learned a lot! Thanks for sharing!!
Joan,
I found it really interesting since I never realized that Valentine’s Day was an almost universal celebration.
It’s a small world after all.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hi Dr. Erica,
Enjoyed your post about Valentine customs around the world. Also love your dedication to spreading the message of love. Everything goes better with love, eh?
Edward
Edward,
Love is such a beautiful feeling, emotion and action. When we feel love, we are accepting, appreciating and enjoying life and all that life offers us. It is nice to know that most countries around the world do celebrate love with their own unique traditions.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
I LOVE this post. I find it so fascinating to learn about different traditions and ways of celebration. Thank you for teaching me a thing, or two.
Dr. Elise,
I found it so interesting that most countries all around the world also have their own unique celebrations for Valentine’s Day.
Love is universal, a basic human and animal need. Even plants thrive when loved.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hello Dr Erica, Great post my friend.. Love the idea of buying myself something for Valentines Day!
Happy Early Valentines Day!
Chery :))
Chery,
We should always be looking for ways to be good to our self, to nurture our self and to show appreciation and love for ours self. How can anyone appreciate us fully if we don’t appreciate our self first?
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Dr. ERICA,
I really enjoyed your article. Loved the picture most of all.
Thanks for stopping by, Alicia.
And have a wonderful and very special Valentine’s Day.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica