Valentine’s Day is a holiday of sorts that is filled with roses and chocolate. Hearts are everywhere and love is the word for the day. Couples venture out on dates, and Cupid strikes unsuspecting hearts, at least in the United States. All around the world, there are some wacky traditions for Valentine’s Day that the Howl figured you may enjoy:
Eating black noodles is a popular way to mourn for your loneliness in South Korea. A follow-up holiday called “Black Day” on April 14th is a pleasing pity party for single folks. These uncoupled party people dress in black and eat black noodles called jajangmyeon.
In Germany, pigs are considered a symbol of good luck. Valentine’s Day, called Valentinstag, only took hold in Germany after the end of World War II. Miniature pigs are just as common as the display of Cupid.
An interesting tradition in France, which is no longer celebrated, is loterie d’amour, a matchmaking lottery. Men and women would shout to each other from houses across the street before pairing up. Men have the option of dumping the woman for another, and the leftover women would gather together and burn pictures of the men who ditched them while venting around a bonfire. After getting a little out of hand, this tradition was banned. Imagine this one at DCIS on the hardcourts at lunch. Probably not a good idea.
In South Africa, women carry on the Lupercalia tradition by literally wearing their hearts on their sleeves, or by pinning the names of their love interests to their shirts, in hopes of finding love.
In Manila, you may find mass weddings. After living together, long-distance Filipino couples can get married without worrying about expenses. This type of wedding consists of several hundreds of couples at a time.
In Wales, they give out wooden spoons as tokens of affection. Their Valentine’s day is on January 25, in honor of Saint Dwynwen; the Welsh patron of saint lovers. It is a dated tradition that doesn’t happen only once a year.
In some countries, they even banned the holiday. In countries like Belgorod and Russia, the people believe it is a useless holiday. Some countries even banned the holiday because it went against their cultural norms.
To test your psychic abilities in England on Valentine’s Day Eve, women place bay leaves on their pillows. They hope that the bay leaves will bring them dreams of their future husbands.
In Denmark, women give out joking letters called gækkebrev on paper snowflakes. These letters can be a funny way to show their love for someone, or it can be a total joke!
And last but not least, our most weird tradition. Have you ever wanted to see St. Valentine in person? You probably think he is dead, but then take a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Rome. Tourists will see the decayed remains of Valentine’s Day’s namesake. Other relics of St. Valentine, like his heart, can be found in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.
