The Valentine's Day is not the same in all parts of the world, each country has its customs and ways of celebrating. Western culture has coalesced on Valentine party a cluster of ancient customs, many ritualized, designed to celebrate, promote and extol the love of the couple.
In Europe, we can find different customs. Single women from Great Britain and Italy, on Valentine's night, get up impatiently before dawn and stand in front of the window waiting for a man to pass by. This is because they say that the first man who appears or sees them will marry them during that year. They, hoping that this happens, year after year, go to their windows just in case it was not a legend.
William Shakespeare, the English playwright, mentions this belief in Hamlet (1603). Since Ophelia, a woman in the drama, sings a song in which she says something similar.
English children, meanwhile, have a habit of singing special love songs of their own for the occasion, in return they receive gifts, candy, fruits or money. Also in some areas of England, it is very typical of this day that people bake special rolls made from caraway seeds, plums, or raisins. In Italy they celebrate a feast of Valentine's Day as if it were a big party.
Another representative element of this day is flowers, and it is in Denmark, where people are in the habit of sending pressed white flowers called snow drops to their dearest people, whether they are a couple or friends. On the other hand, the Danish men were not going to be left behind, they send letters called gaekkebrev (funny letter), and in the sender they write a rhyme but they do not sign with their name but with points, one for each letter of their name. If the woman who receives her guesses who sent her, he rewards her with an Easter egg at that party.
In the United States and Canada, the famous “valentines” are famous, these are greeting cards that children make that day and exchange with their friends. In some schools parties are held in which the children place all the “valentines” in a box previously decorated for the occasion and at the end of the day, they distribute each one to their respective recipient. Many of these valentines are made by children at school and for this they use paper tablecloths, red paper, wallpaper, and cropped photographs of magazines. Other times they buy this material. Their best cards are reserved to give to their relatives and teachers. Older students take the opportunity to celebrate dances and parties of Valentine's Day. They prepare candy baskets, valentine days gifts and table cards decorated with hearts and cupids. Many people send flowers, candy, or other gifts to their lovers. Many chocolate boxes have a heart shape and a red ribbon. But usually, this is what everyone is currently doing.
Other curious customs are, for example, those carried out in: Korea, women offer chocolate to men; in New York, only seven couples are chosen to marry that day, on the 80th floor viewpoint of the Empire State Building , becoming part of the famous Bridal Club and having free entry on their anniversary day, and in Japan, thousands in love they approach Mount Fuji, right at the Point of Lovers located in Izu, to ring the "Bell of Love" three times while pronouncing the name of their beloved to turn their affair into true love.
