Different countries have different customs and habits. The same Valentine's Day is also, China has China's Valentine's Day - Tanabata, and the West has the Western Valentine's Day
Before talking about how people in different countries celebrate Valentine's Day, the teacher first told you about Western Valentine's Day and its origin.
Western Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also known as St. Valentine's Day or St. Valentine's Day, dates on February 14 of the Gregorian calendar every year and is one of the traditional holidays in Western countries that originated in Christianity. Today, it has become a famous romantic festival all over the world, but people in different countries have different ways of expressing their love.
Valentine's Day is a festival of love, romance, flowers, chocolates, and greeting cards on which men and women exchange gifts to express love or friendship. Valentine's Day dinner dates usually represent the key to the development of a couple's relationship.
Valentine's Day has now become a favorite holiday for young people in Europe and the United States, and other countries have become popular. China regards the traditional festival Qixi Festival as Valentine's Day. Because they can express common human feelings, countries and regions have discovered their own "Valentine's Day".
The Origins of Valentine's Day in the West
February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 320 days remaining until the end of the year (321 days remaining in leap years). February 14 every year is the traditional Valentine's Day in Western countries.
270 AD – The Roman saint Valentine is executed, and this day is designated as "Valentine's Day" by posterity. Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day, is a national holiday in some countries in Europe, America and Oceania. There are many sources of this festival, but it is generally based on the execution of the Roman saint Valentine, and later designated as "Valentine's Day".
In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire experienced a full-scale crisis, the economy withered, the ruling class was corrupt, the society was in turmoil, and the people rebelled. The aristocracy, in order to maintain its rule, brutally suppressed the populace and Christians. At that time, there was a Believer Valentine who was arrested and imprisoned. In prison, he impressed the warden's daughter with his honesty. They fell in love with each other and were cared for by the warden's daughter. The ruling class ordered him to be executed. Before his execution, he wrote a long suicide note to the warden's daughter, indicating that he was innocent. It shows his bright and honest heart and deep attachment to the warden's daughter.
On February 14, 270 AD, he was executed, and later, in honor of Valentine's sacrifice for justice and pure love, Christians set the day of his execution as "St. Valentine's Day", which was later changed to "Valentine's Day".
Differences in Valentine's Day in different countries
China:
China generally calls the traditional festival Qixi "Chinese Valentine's Day", in ancient times, the celebration of Tanabata has been very common, but the content of the traditional celebration of Tanabata has nothing to do with activities such as couple dating, just a festival of worshiping Qijie, praying for blessings and making wishes, and begging for craftsmanship. Later, the love legend of the tanabata festival cowherd weaver girl was given to make it a festival that symbolized love. In recent years, Young Chinese people have celebrated Tanabata in the form of celebrating Western Valentine's Day, which has nothing to do with traditional customs.
Of course, there is also the Lantern festival as a Valentine's Day, the Lantern Festival, also known as the "Shangyuan Festival", is the first full moon of the year hanging high on the night, or a forgotten "Chinese Valentine's Day". The Lantern Festival is known for a series of traditional folk activities such as viewing flower lanterns, eating tangyuan, guessing lantern riddles, and setting off fireworks. Is a romantic festival, lanterns will be in the old traditional society, but also to unmarried men and women to know each other to provide an opportunity, traditional society of young girls are not allowed to go out of free activities, but the festival can go out to play together, lantern festival lanterns are just an opportunity for friendship, unmarried men and women through the flower lanterns can also find their own objects. During the Lantern Festival, it is also the time for young men and women to meet their lovers.
In addition, there are also those who regard Shangmi Festival as Valentine's Day. The Shangwei Festival is the most important festival held in the ancient Han People's "QizuAn bath" activities, people go to the water's edge to bathe together, called "Qi Yu", and then added the content of sacrificial feasts, meandering water flowing, and suburban spring tours. One of the main activities of the Festival is the meeting of men and women, that is, "Valentine's Day" where men and women express their affection. After the Song Dynasty, the Shangwei Festival gradually disappeared.
After the reform and opening up, many young men and women have also begun to celebrate this Western Valentine's Day festival, and the importance of young people to the festival can be compared with the Spring Festival and mid-autumn festival, which is generally more formal for boys to give gifts to girls, and girls should also show something. In addition, the main activity is to go to a more romantic place for dinner. Sending blessings to each other on the online love wall has also become a new fashion, indicating the commitment and eternity of love. For a boy who is pursuing a girl, if the girl accepts his Valentine's Day gift or says he accepts the invitation on this day, it means that the relationship is confirmed.
United States:
Men saying "Happy Valentine's Day" to his female friends on this day have no special emotional relationship, but gradually evolve into a form like a public greeting. But men are less likely to say so in public to another man. Although Valentine's Day is not a public holiday in the United States, most American office workers who pay attention to the festive atmosphere will squeeze out time to spend the holiday with their lovers and families through vacations, leave or early work. In particular, some successful people, that is, the so-called wealthy families of the upper class, pay great attention to the family atmosphere of the festival.
United Kingdom:
From the 17th century onwards, Valentine's Day became common. Italian couples will send small notes expressing their love on Juliet's love wall. In britain, Valentine's Day activities are also colorful, and compared with cheerful and outgoing Americans, the more introverted British people pay more attention to using the holiday to vent their emotions and celebrate well. Similar to the situation in the United States or China, British Valentine's Day gifts are mostly flowers, chocolates, plush toy teddy bears, etc., and occasionally men will give ladies more expensive gifts such as jewelry, etc., but they are not common, flowers and chocolates are still the first choice of gifts.
Italy:
Confession Day of Love is not necessarily Gift Day. Unmarried women are the most special, they get up early on Valentine's Day, stand silently in front of the window, expecting the first man they see passing by appear. In addition, a special Valentine's Day ceremony is popular in Rome, that is, on Valentine's Day, couples go to Rome's Milvio Bridge and hang a lock symbolizing their hearts on the lamppost on the bridge. After that, the couples threw the keys into the river under the bridge to show that the two would never be separated for the rest of their lives.
Japan:
In Japan, Valentine's Day on February 14 has two major characteristics: one is that only chocolate is usually given; the other is that only women give gifts to men. The connotation of Valentine's Day in Japan has long been expanded, in addition to the most important valentine's gifts in the "love" component, there are many "words of thanks" components, thank these men for their care for themselves. Of course, the difference between "affection" and "thanksgiving" can be easily distinguished by the variety or packaging of chocolate. That is to say, Valentine's Day is the day a man receives a gift.
Australia;
In Australia, people pay the most attention to the holidays are New Year's Day and Labor Day, Valentine's Day and Christmas are slightly less important than the first two holidays, but Australians have a slow pace of life and like to enjoy life, so no matter what the festival, celebrating dinner and partying is indispensable. Moreover, everyone who goes to work on Valentine's Day pays twice the salary, but most Australians will not give up enjoying life for overtime pay.
We can feel the culture of different countries from the festival and feel their uniqueness!
Then at the end, the teacher wishes everyone a happy Valentine's Day, and the loved one will always be with me