Nora Batty prepares our readers for the big day and shares her research on the Asian art of expressing love

Be it any country, community or people of any race, the celebration of being in love is a universal phenomena. It’s a part of mass culture, which all of us have accepted. A simple four-letter word gives the message of spreading mutual affection, respect, tolerance and a gentle human touch. It’s perhaps the only magical word which can heal this world of all its atrocities…
we call it LOVE.

When in Rome…
As missionaries fanned out from Italy, they took the custom of Val­entine’s Day, along with the gospel, to the inhabitants of Northern Europe. Today the business people of the global economy are the missionaries who have introduced the customs of Valentine’s Day to the world beyond Europe and North America. Com­mercial influxes aside, romance and love are universal, which is why the custom of Valentine’s Day is spreading. While the focus of the holiday remains one of lovers expressing their romantic af­fections for each other, local customs and traditions add their influ­ence, thereby providing some differentiation in the celebration from country to country.

PHILIPPINES
Filipinos have always been known as romantic people and for them, Valen­tine’s Day is synonymous with red roses, red shirts (for those who are look­ing for partners), fully-booked motels (yes!), crowded movie houses and restaurants, and of course, public plazas turned into lovers’ lanes. Schools usually don’t have regular classes on Valentine’s Day since it is also the time for junior and senior prom nights, which some call, “puppy love” day.
Uniting the public plazas/lovers’ lanes, this nation prefers not to just cel­ebrate it by a pair or two, but rather thousands of couples who gather for the world record of most couples kissing in one event for 10 seconds. Lovapal­ooza is what they call it, which started on February 14th, 2004. They set the world record with 5,327, which was then overtaken by Hungary claiming the title with 5,700 couples. Currently, Bosnia holds the kissing record with 6,980 couples on September 1, 2007. Maybe February 14th, 2009 will be the Kiss-a-thon day for the Philippines to find 13,962 sweethearts (or more) and re-capture that title for just 10 seconds? Traversing the Orient suspects they can do more than that…

JAPAN
In the land of the Rising Sun, western conventions are turned upside down and it’s the women who give chocolates and other Valentine presents to the men. The chocolates are divided into two categories; Giri-choko and Hon­mei-choko. The first type is given to men who are either colleagues, or bosses or just friends. But the second kind is known as the love chocolate (Honmei­choko). The young ladies give this chocolate only to that man who is in her dreams and, hopefully, will be in her life forever.

Rarely are gifts free or love unconditional, and Japan is no exception! After one month, it’s the men’s turn to give gifts to women which they call White Day on March 14th. Lingerie and jewelry are the com­mon gifts that Japa­nese men give to women instead of just chocolates and marshmallows.
Both customs seem to have started with a Japanese chocolate candy manu­facturer who saw an opportunity in both the women’s desire to celebrate this day and to break with tradition a bit. The idea caught on and, seeing the op­portunity to expand sales even more, chocolate manufacturers and retailers began encouraging the giving of chocolate to both men whom the women were attracted to romantically as well as other men in their lives.

THAILAND
Although it is not a traditional Thai holiday, Valentine’s Day is celebrated around Thailand all the same…any excuse for a party and yet more smiles! Perhaps the most outlandish celebration is the mass underwater wedding ceremony held in Trang province in southern Thailand. Every year on Feb 14, couples get to say “I do” and tie their love knot underwater.

In the northern province of Lampang Thais celebrate their love afair with their favorite animal by putting on a feast for elephants. The world’s largest toke tables — a round table usually less than a meter across — are piled high with fowers, bananas, sugar cane and other elephant  favorites, then the big beasts tuckin. However, not even elephants experience  unconditional love…afterwards they give thanks for the food by playing music, marketing their own paintings, and marching on parade for the onlookers!

KOREA
The roots of this particular celebration in Japan and Korea go back to the decade following the end  of World War  II.  Obviously,  the  postwar  American  occupation  of  Japan,  along with  the Korean War and  the stationing of American troops in that nation since the start of that war, played a part in introducing the holiday to these nations.

Korea follows similar traditions to Japan on February 14th and March 14th, though strictly speaking, a Korean woman has the luxury of actually choos­ing her own gift. However, not forgetting the singletons, for those young people who have no particular romantic partner the Koreans have set aside yet another date – April 14th. Also known as “Black Day” on this auspicious occasion, love-minded individuals get together and celebrate their love affair with Jajang noodles, which are black in color.

In South Korea, there is Pepero Day, celebrated on November 11, when young couples give each other romantic gifts, in particular a long, choco­late cookie named Pepero. The date ‘11/11’ is intended to resemble the long shape of the cookie.

CHINA
In China, it’s common practice for the man to give chocolate, flowers or both to the woman that he loves. There are many versions of the origins of Chinese Valentine’s Day, and many are clouded by history and lore, but the commonly acknowledged Chinese culture shows preference to an older observance related to lovers called “The Night of Sevens”.

According to the legend, the Cowherd star and the Weaver Maid star are normally separated by the milky way (river) but are allowed to meet by crossing it on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar (celebrated in the western calendar during the month of Au­gust). This is known as Qi Qiao Jie, or Chinese Valentine’s Day, and is
devoted to romance.

TAIWAN
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Taiwan on Feb 14, but couples are given a second chance of celebration by observing the Chinese Valentine’s Day on August 7th. Men buy chocolates and flowers, but to be sure of sending the right signals, according to Taiwanese tradition, the color and number of Valentine’s roses holds much significance. For example, one red rose means “an only love,” 11 roses means “a favorite,” 99 roses means “forever,” and 108 roses means “marry me.”

Whether you are receiving special chocolates or kissing for at least 10 sec­onds above or under water on February 14th, buying lingerie and jewelry on March 14th, chomping on black noodles April 14th or contemplating the number and color of roses on August 7th, from the bottom of our heart, Traversing the Orient wishes you a very happy love celebration!