WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2006
world
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 15C
disturbances it caused.
Every Valentine's Day there is also a pilgrimage of lovers to the village of St. Valentin, the only town in France to bear the saint's name.
Couples take pictures and spend the day there together.
But some believe France is losing some of its passion during the holiday.
"I think we are basically reproducing the American culture, and it is getting more and more commercial," said Sylvaine Rivalland, Nantes, France, graduate student.
An equal number of unmarried men and women attend this festival in Scotland. Each person writes his or her name on a piece of paper and places it in a hat. There is one hat for men and one for women.
Each person draws a name from the opposite hat. If names don't match, the man usually pairs up with the woman who drew his name. After everyone is paired, each woman pins the name of her partner over her heart. There is dancing and, sometimes, even weddings at the festival.
In Denmark, people send pressed white flowers — called Snowdrops to their friends. There is also a form of valentine called the "gaekkebrev" or "joking letter."
The joking Danish
Scottish love festival
In Brazil, Valentine's Day is more about couples, and if you're not dating anyone, it sucks. I think that's the main difference between both cultures. People are just as romantic here and there on Valentine's Day nothing to do with culture really."
Terena Silva Recife, Brazil, senior
The gaekkebrev consists of a penned rhyme. Instead of signing his name the sender signs with dots. Each dot represents a letter of the sender's name.
If the recipient guesses the name of the sender, she gets an Easter egg later in the year.
Rituals and saints
Brazil doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th. "Dia dos Namorados," the "Day of the Enamored," is celebrated on June 12. It commemorates the day before Saint Anthony's day. He is known in Brazil as the marriage saint.
Unlike in the United States, only couples celebrate the day. There is no card exchange between family members or friends.
"In Brazil, Valentine's Day is more about couples, and if you're not dating anyone, it sucks. I think that's the main difference between both cultures. People are just as romantic here and there on
Valentine's Day, nothing to do with culture really," said Terena Silva, Recife, Brazil, senior.
7: The number of romance
The Chinese also celebrate Valentine's Day on a different day. The Chinese Valentine's Day is known as the "Festival of the Double Sevens", or "Qi Xi." The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar.
This year's festival will be celebrated on Aug. 11. It's a rich and colorful celebration. Young women usually showcase their domestic arts, like melon carving. Couples visit and pray for their love at the Temple of Matchmaker.
People who are single also visit the temple and ask for luck finding love.
Japan's two Valentine's Days
In Japan, there are two different dates for Valentine's Day: Feb. 14 and Mar. 14. In February, women give gifts to
their lovers — or any man close to them. Men return the favor in March. Japanese women can give two different kinds of chocolate to men. The first one is called girl-choco and is given to friends and bosses. The second one is called honmei and is given to husbands and boyfriends. While girl-choco is bought more as an obligation, hon-mei chocolate is homemade and considered special.
"In Japan, as the day comes closer, boys start to behave well and gently for girls because they want to get as many chocolates as they can," said Yumi Ujihara, Chiba, Japan, junior.
"The day is considered a special day, which girls can officially tell their feelings to the guys who they like. This is because Japanese girls are traditionally seen as more passive and submissive than boys," she said.
— Edited by Jonathan Kealing