Valentine’s Day is celebrated differently around the world. Below is a list of ways this special day of love is celebrated. Can you match the celebration to the correct country where it is practiced?
Scotland South Korea Japan Thailand Malaysia
1. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in an interesting manner on two different dates. On February 14, females present gifts to their boyfriends or any man close to them. The favor is returned to ladies on the White Day celebrated on March 14 when men pamper the women who gave them gifts a month before on Valentines Day.
As chocolate is the most popular gift for the occasion, days before the festival department and grocery stores stock themselves with chocolates in large variety to lure customers. It is estimated that more than half the chocolate sold in a year is sold around Valentines Day in this country.
2. Their day of love falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar when women write their phone numbers on oranges before throwing them into the closest river with hopes that the man of their dreams might pick one up. Fruit vendors often collect the oranges, which are considered a lucky fruit, and resell them at the market—phone numbers and all!
3. During a Valentine’s Day get-together, each single person writes his or her name on a piece of paper, which is then thrown into two hats—one containing the men’s names, and another containing the women’s names. Everyone draws a name, and the couples pair off for the evening. Since it’s unlikely that the names will actually match, the man has to stick with the woman who picked his name, regardless of whose name he picked.
4. The 14th day of every month is dedicated to an aspect of love. For example, May is Rose Day, October is Wine Day, and December is Hug Day. On February 14, women give chocolate to men, and on March 14 (also called “White Day”), men give non-chocolate candy to women. People, who didn’t receive anything on either day, get together on April 14, or Black Day, to eat black bean noodles and lament their singleness.
5. Perhaps the strangest celebration of Valentines Day in the world is the mass Underwater Wedding Ceremony held in Trang province on Kradan Island. Each year on February 14th couples come to Kradan Island in Trang province for a mass underwater wedding ceremony. Throughout the rest of this country Valentines Day is mostly celebrated by the countries teenagers. This does not sit well with the conservative government who have tried to downplay Valentines Day in the past to keep the youngsters from getting together to consummate their love. February 14th is said to be the busiest day of the year for “short time” hotels, which cater specifically to lovers.
Answers
1. Japan
2. Malaysia
3. Scotland
4. South Korea
5. Thailand
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