Ahhhhh Valentine’s Day… the holiday that you always think is still super far away until it comes up right behind you and neck chops you with a reminder that you can tell yourself you’re “taking a break from dating,” all you want, but at the end of the day, you’re really just cranky and alone. It’s worse than my mother. *Ahem.* Your mother. Anyway, fear not! American Consumerism may not have your back, but these 5 countries do. Here’s 5 alternative holidays to Valentine’s day from across the world that you don’t need NO man to celebrate.
In Finland, they take Valentine’s Day a lot more…. platonically. Instead of a holiday dedicated to declaring your love for your S.O, Ystävänpäivä (St. Valentine’s Day) is all about declaring your love for your friends. Instead of heart shaped cards, chocolates, and overrated proposals at restaurants where everyone else is just trying to enjoy there own meal and now have to cheer for you (congratulations…. or whatever); people in Finland give small, reasonably decorated cards and gifts to all the friends and extended family they can think of. It’s quite sweet really, and definitely a bit more meaningful than a hallmark card that says “I love you with every pizza my heart.”
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“Clothes are the key to my heart,” is something that we can all relate to, but people in China are taking this to an entirely new level. Every year on 11/11 the Chinese celebrate Single’s Day, where instead of trying to pick out a gift for your beau that he or she will smile awkwardly at before re-gifting it to their distant friend who has a birthday around the same time, you just buy stuff for yourself. The holiday was likely started by Chinese University Students in the 1990’s, but after being backed by the massive Chinese e-commerce conglomerate, Alibaba, Single’s Day has become a phenomenon all across China, and as of last year, spent 25 Billion USD on discounted goods. 25 Billion. That sounds like the definition of “Treat yo’ self,” to us.
It’s fairly agreed upon that the first surviving Valentine to ever be sent was from The Duke of Orleans to his wife after he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. But just because a Frenchman started this tradition does not mean that all of the French are on board with all of the traditions that mainstream America celebrates today. In fact, there’s a French Tradition called Une Loterie d’Amour that is a little unconventional, and by a little we mean VERY unconventional, so much so that the holiday has recently been banned by the government in France for its particular errr, viciousness. Une Loterie d’Amour demands that group of people get on opposite ends of the room and call out the name of any person on the opposite side. If a woman calls the name of a man and he calls the name of another woman, then he has to spend the day with the woman who called his name. Which seems like a pretty great deal until the person you’ve been crushing on for 8 months dumps you in the middle of your date. But, in retaliation to this, all the women that were dumped get together at the end of the day and create bonfire where they burn photographs of the men who have wronged them and swear into the abyss. And if you’re already cursing the names of the men from the lottery, why not throw in your ex from 3 years ago that broke up with you on the subway and left at the next stop? It is a bit extreme, but liberating none the less.
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Oranges are definitely a pretty solid fruit. They’re sweet, tangy, the base layer of a number of beverages….. and according to Malaysians, they’re lucky too. Which is why on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Lunar Calendar, people write their phone numbers on an orange and throw them into the river, in hopes that the person of their dreams will pick it up and call them back. Street vendors have had a habit of picking these oranges out of the water and selling them with the numbers on it as well, sort of like professional wing-men. Which is a win in our book.
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South Korea knows what’s up when it comes to romance. They don’t just have Valentine’s day on February 14th, they have a different holiday related to love on the 14th of every month. The most popular is Valentine’s day where women traditionally give chocolates to men, and vice versa on White Day, which takes place the month after. But out of all the different events that take place, the best one of all is Black Day. On April 14th, after everything is said and done with the whole gift exchange thing, all of the people that didn’t receive gifts get together and eat traditional black noodles known as 짜장면 (Jjajang Myeon) which, in case you were wondering, is delicious and super affordable. Because with money in pocket and food on the table who has time to feel bad about being alone?
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All jokes aside, no matter where you find yourself in the world, Valentine’s day is JUST ANOTHER DAY. Whether or not you’re in a relationship has NOTHING to do with your worth. So buy presents for your S.O AND buy presents for yourself. Eat those noodles, burn those pictures, and hang out with your friends because at the end of ANY day the only person you have to please is yourself. Happy Valentine’s Day Ladies!