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Valentine’s Day around the world

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Also by Johanna Lurvey:

Valentine's Day around the world (February 14, 2008)
Exhibit explores planes of normality (February 7, 2008)
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'Body Drama' exposes all for women (February 4, 2008)
Film abandons religious ship, retains corny theme (January 21, 2008)

by Johanna Lurvey

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Myths surround the origin of Valentine’s Day, most of which date back to early Roman and Christian traditions. Whatever the reason for its inception, celebrating the day of love has caught on like wildfire all around the world, each country with its own version of the holiday.

Japan

In Japan, Feb. 14 is pronounced “ba-rin-tine day,” and it is a day when women do all the gift-giving.

“Basically, girls give boys who [they] love chocolate, and then say, ‘I love you,’” said Miyuki Kamiya, a University of Wisconsin teaching assistant from Tokyo in an interview with The Badger Herald. Other than receiving chocolates from their admirers, “boys don’t do anything,” she explained.

Chocolate is the customary gift, while Valentine’s cards and flowers are infrequent in Japan. The trend is actually so popular that Japanese chocolate companies report having more than half of their sales during the week before Feb. 14.

Not all chocolates are tokens of love, however. Giri-choko is “obligation chocolate,” and is recognized by its considerably smaller size. Kamiya sensei, as her Japanese 104 students call her, might give giri-choko, which says, “If I don’t love this guy but… he is my boss or co-worker.” However, not all women partake in this duty exchange. The most meaningful Valentine’s Day gift is honmei-choko, which translates to “sweetheart’s chocolate.”

Guys are not off the hook for gift-giving, though. White Day, a Japanese-created holiday, is celebrated March 14. This is the day when men return the favor by giving gifts to the women they received chocolate from the previous month. White chocolate (as well as regular chocolate), other treats and jewelry are common White Day gifts. What happens if a man does not return the favor through a gift on White Day? “Some girls feel that the guy didn’t like her,” Kamiya said.

Argentina

The celebration of Día de San Valentin in Argentina is similar to how Americans celebrate the holiday.

“Guys and girls partake, but [the celebration is] a lot smaller,” wrote Eric Grauvilardell, a University of Minnesota freshman, in an online interview with The Badger Herald. “Perhaps some candy — chocolates are good — things of that sort, but they don’t buy nearly as many things as they do here.”

Grauvilardell, who moved to the U.S. from Mendoza, Argentina, in 2001, adds that while Día de San Valentin is a holiday mostly celebrated by couples, Argentineans also celebrate Día del Amigo (“Friend’s Day”) on July 20.

Ghana

Virtually no one celebrated Valentine’s Day in Accra, the capitol of Ghana, in 1995, according to Jo Ellen Fair, a UW journalism and mass communications professor. The popularity of the holiday surged because of the privatization of Ghanaian radio.

“Picked up from media promotion handbooks produced in the United States, Valentine’s Day came to Accra prepackaged in a rarefied state of hype,” wrote Fair in her article, “‘Me Do Wu,’ My Val: The Creation of Valentine’s Day in Accra, Ghana.” The three main radio stations in Accra — Radio Gold, Joy FM and Peace FM — began promoting Valentine’s Day (or, as locals call it, “Val”) by offering prize packages ranging from trips to South Africa to flowers to free dinners. Thus, listening audiences became more and more enthusiastic about the holiday.

From a mass communications perspective, Ghana’s newspaper, The Mirror, printed only one short article about Valentine’s Day in 1990. After the swift rise of popularity, the same newspaper printed 12 pages of Valentine’s Day coverage in 1998, including a cover story and “two pages of personal messages,” wrote Fair.

“Valentine’s Day is the perfect promotion. Ghanaians like to look to the outside for new ideas. It fits with our gift-giving culture,” Ghana native Ebow Ghartey said in an interview with Fair. “We know about love.”

Other places in the world

Valentine’s Day was once a spring festival in Italy where young people would gather to listen to music and poetry. It is now an Italian tradition to get engaged on Festa Degli Innamorati, and couples often celebrate together, exchanging gifts and eating at restaurants. Festa Degli Innamorati is a holiday exclusively for lovers, so friends and family do not exchange gifts.

Finland officially recognized their version of the holiday, Ystävänpäivä, in 1987. Ystävänpäivä translates to “Friend’s Day” and, as the name suggests, is traditionally a day to celebrate friendships through gifts and cards.

This year, celebrating Valentine’s Day was banned in Saudi Arabia, according to a Tuesday CNN article, because it was seen as being a non-Muslim holiday that promoted infidelity. Stores were forbidden from selling anything red during the days prior to Feb. 14 and, consequentially, the black market for roses and other traditional gifts has soared.

Around the world, people cherish the opportunity to celebrate love, whether it is a romantic relationship, friendship or a hushed celebration hidden from the government. Perhaps John Lennon expressed it best when he sang that even in a time of conflict and uncertainty, “All you need is love.”

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