From chocolates in Japan to decorated cities in Nigeria, people around the globe celebrate love on Valentine’s Day with various customs and traditions.
With over 200 international students at Utah Tech University, many have their own ways of expressing love, adding to the cultural diversity of the campus during this holiday.
Japan
Tatsuki Irii, a freshman psychology major from Tokyo, Japan, said Valentine’s Day in the United States is celebrated “very differently” than in her home country.
“In Japan, the girls like to give something to the boys on Valentine’s Day,” Irii said. “Then after a month, on March 14, boys like to give something back to her, so it’s different.”
White Day is held on March 14, and the day gives men the opportunity to give a gift back to the woman who gave them chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
Women will give men chocolate on Feb. 14, but the type of chocolate depends on how the woman views the man. If a woman feels obligated to give someone chocolate, she will give them “giri choco,” which are store-bought chocolates. If a woman is romantically interested in someone, she will give them “honmei choco.” These chocolates are fancy, expensive or homemade chocolates.
Despite practicing different traditions than the U.S., Irii said she loves how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in both countries.
“I like Valentine’s Day here because it’s super cute when boys do something for the girls,” Irii said. “But I like Valentine’s culture in Japan because the Japanese girl doesn’t normally tend to ask the boys to hang out or date, but on Valentine’s Day, we get the chance to do that.”
Mexico
In Mexico, Valentine’s Day is normally referred to as “Día del Amor y la Amistad,” which translates to “day of love and friendship.” The day is commonly celebrated with gifts, parties, dinners and music.
“We go out with friends, family or the person you’re dating, and we have dinner,” said Andrea Fabian Elizalde, a junior exercise science major from Guerrero, Mexico. “You can find mariachis walking around the city square and in the restaurants, and the guy will ask the mariachis to sing a song for his date.”
Elizalde said she enjoys celebrating the day with her family by eating dinner together and doing a “Secret Valentine” activity.
Similar to “Secret Santa,” Elizalde said her family writes their names on papers, puts them in a bowl and takes turns drawing out a name. Whoever they choose, the family member gets them candies or a stuffed animal for Valentine’s Day.
With Mexican traditions that are different from the U.S., Elizalde said she has noticed some difference between how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Mexico and how it is celebrated in the U.S.
“We do all day celebrations [in Mexico] and talk about them all day,” Elizalde said. “We have the Secret Valentine’s Day gift, and we also celebrate the day in schools. Here, it’s just another day. I think that’s a big difference.”
Nigeria
In Nigeria, cities are covered in red, pink and white with Valentine’s Day decor decorating stores, streets and restaurants.
“In my country, we have lots of outdoor restaurants where you can stand and eat,” said Bethel Stephen, a sophomore biology major from Abuja, Nigeria. “It’s really cheap, but it’s nice. Or it could be under a tree, and there’s a fancy bar there, and you know, people just go there and have fun or go shopping.”
Although Nigeria residents have many of their own Valentine’s Day traditions they like to observe, Stephen has one of her own.
“I like to honor the dead because they don’t have a chance to celebrate the day with their loved ones,” Stephen said. “Or maybe some of them died because nobody loved them, so you know, going through the cemetery and dropping flowers for maybe the young ones or the old ones.”
Stephen said one of the biggest differences of how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the U.S. and how it is celebrated in Nigeria has to do with the gifts that are given. In Nigeria, gift giving is not as popular. Rather, the time spent together is what makes Valentine’s Day a day worth celebrating.
“[In Nigeria], let’s go out,” Stephen said. “Let’s go do something. Let’s go dance, but here, everybody wants roses…I feel like people here are more materialistic.”
With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, some people may be looking forward to celebrating their own traditions. With a new list of traditions brought to us from around the world, it may be an opportunity to broaden our horizons when it comes to expressing love this Valentine’s Day.
