Valentine’s Day

14th February 2025

We are at the end of a cold, wet, dark and dank half term and the week’s break, away from school or college, that will come as something of a warming relief.

And we all get the opportunity to celebrate the feast of Saint Valentine, on Friday 14th February. No doubt you will want to commit yourself to a Valentine’s activity, giving yourself fully to this day of light celebration (not a deeply disturbing day of commercial nonsense).

As it is often the case, Saint Valentine’s Day has a deeply pagan origin. Most likely it relates to the onset of spring and the sense that a brightness and warmth is just around the corner.

Saint Valentine was a priest from Rome who became a Catholic martyr in around 269CE. A link to love and the sharing of chocolates and flowers, sending cards to another, is less clear. It seems that in some European folk traditions connecting romantic love with the advent of spring goes back through until the Middle Ages. Maybe an early commercial activity.

Whatever your beliefs and whatever the origins of such a day it does offer some of you the opportunity to do things a little differently on the day. Take some time to think about spending time with someone you care for – I don’t think that has to be anyone that you are particularly in love with. Maybe for others it’s just an opportunity to reflect, at the end of his long, tough half term on the things that matter to you.

And to be jolly about this, you might be interested in some of the Valentine’s traditions from around the world.

Single ladies in South Korea.

South Korea celebrates love on the 14th of every month of the year, but February and March are the biggest and most expensive. Valentine’s Day sees women giving chocolate to men. And instead of returning the favour straight away, Korean men give chocolate on White Day (14th March). A month later is Black Day — a celebration for singles. Those who didn’t receive treats in the previous months get together and eat black noodles with all their single friends.

Poetry games in Norway.

In Norway, secret admirers send the objects of their desire funny little poems called gaekkebrev, the only clue to their identity being a dot representing each letter of his name. If the recipient guesses who the poem is from, they earn themselves an Easter egg at Easter. If she’s stumped, the man reveals his identity and the woman must give him an egg -yes really!

Just friends in Norway.

It’s what every admirer dread hearing, especially on Valentine’s Day – ‘let’s be friends.’ But in Estonia, Valentine’s Day is called Sōbrapäev, or ‘Friends Day.’ People exchange cards and gifts among friends with a cheery ‘Happy Friends Day.’ Just what you want to hear from someone you’ve had your eye on for years.

Love spoons in Wales.

Maybe you know this but, the Welsh do Valentine’s Day a bit earlier, on 25th January. And they do it a bit differently – by giving love-spoons. The spoons are an age-old tradition where Welsh men would carefully carve spoons and present them to the woman, they were interested in. The designs they carved were symbolic and often had hidden clues. For example, the number of beads attached represented the number of children the man was expecting his beloved to produce.

The love lottery in France

Not so long ago, French single people celebrated Valentine’s Day by calling out to other single people living across the road until they were all paired off. If the men didn’t like their match, they would simply leave the woman for another man to call. Called une loterie d’amour, the tradition often left women unmatched. However, according to the rules of tradition, they could get together, light a bonfire and toss pictures and belongings of the guys who rejected them. Sadly, the government banned it.

Love birds in Slovenia

Slovenia’s Valentine’s Day coincides with the beginning of spring celebrations. When the flowers are in bloom and the birds are singing, women are encouraged to go outside and look to the sky for answers. The first bird they see will supposedly tell them what their future husband will be like.

Feast of love in Iraq.

Iraqi Kurds celebrate Valentine’s Day with a ‘feast of love’, decorating red apples to represent the original love story: Adam and Eve. It diverges from the biblical tale in that an apple is believed to bring prosperity and love, not the end of earthly paradise.

Show it with a biscuit in Germany – careful!

In Germany, gingerbread isn’t just for Christmas. Nothing says ‘Ich lieber dich’ better than a giant heart-shaped ginger biscuit. The biscuits come with a ribbon attached so it can be draped around the shoulders of the lucky recipient.

Dancing in the street, Guatemala.

Guatemalan’s take to the streets for El Dia del Carino (the Day of Affection), for the annual Old Love Parade. Senior citizens dress in feathers and masks for the celebration in Guatemala City.

A perfect wedding in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, those who can’t afford their dream wedding jump at the chance to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day. Sponsored by the government, mass weddings take place across the country, with everything being provided for them, even the rings.

Also, and for good measure, couples meet at the shores of Manila Bay for a midnight kiss.