Love in different languages, Valentines Day around the world.

Valentines day is a very strange holiday when you think about it. It’s one of those holidays where nobody seems really excited to celebrate it, save for those stupidly lovey-dovey couples that most people can safely say are the most annoying types of people. For some people, the day is a day to celebrate their relationship with their partner, to take pride in their love. For others, it’s a day of bitterness and jealousy, of watching from a distance as others take joy in something you don’t have. And for others, it’s simply another corporate holiday, commercialized to the point where any potential meaning of the holiday has been scrubbed clean.

However, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that has been around for decades, centuries even, and with its global reach and influence, has taken on countless different meanings, with new traditions emerging that are unique to every corner of the world, and even becoming new holidays entirely unique to their home country. Although we can’t afford to list too many, here are a few of my own personal favorites.

Starting with the Europeans, specifically Argentina, they take on a unique take on the holiday. Instead of just a single day for couples to express their love, the holiday spans an entire week called Sweetness Week! As you might imagine, sweet treats are very common during this period, with people often exchanging various chocolates and candies in exchange for kisses. The entire week can be summarized by a simple saying, “A candy for a kiss.” And often the week is stretched into a whole “Month of sweetness” although most people tend to focus the celebration to mainly a week, striking a balance between the more commercial aspect while balancing the romance we are familiar with in the states.

Moving on, some countries have combined the practices of valentines day with their own stories and traditions. The prime example of this is in China, where, instead of the traditional Valentine’s Day, they celebrate the Qixi Festival, which honors the story of a celestial weaver and a humble mortal man. Despite it’s different history though, they practice many things we would recognize, spending the day going on dates and exchanging gifts between couples, although a few women also spend the day weaving and carving designs on melon skins, as a symbol of good health. Blending an ancient story with more modern practices.

However, not everyone spends the day focusing on romantic love; many countries around the world instead celebrate platonic love. In countries like Mexico, valentines day isn’t just a day of love, but of friendship, with friends and lovers all exchanging gifts such as stuffed animals, flowers, balloons, cards, and of course a few sweets with each other to show their care. It’s a day of multiple meanings, but it doesn’t lose its core.

Of course, when talking about Valentine’s, we can’t forget about the unlucky few who spend the day alone. Believe it or not, there is actually a holiday that celebrates being alone, although it admittedly isn’t around Valentine’s Day. In South Korea, while they of course have Valentine’s Day and even a day where men return the favor and give gifts to their partners, they also have another holiday known as Black Day, which admittedly sounds more extreme than it is.

Essentially, the holiday is for single folk to gather together and eat a noodle dish called jajangmyeon, topped with a black sauce. It’s not especially grand, but it’s a day for those lonely

few to spend time together and bond, even if it is over being mutually single.

Of course, there’s love to be found on campus as well. Ranging from the paint your date event to the golden star dance. There’s love to be found even in a small town like this. But if you’ve taken anything from this article, I hope it’s the realization that Valentine’s Day is actually a great representation of love, and that you should spend the day celebrating it. Whether it be with a special someone, a few friends, or even just some other single people. There is no one correct way to do Valentine’s, and there is no one correct way to love.