By the chance of history, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in this giant South American country on June 12, just because the next one happens to be Saint Anthony, the Portuguese matchmaker saint.
Historians say that the late Brazilian publicist João Dória presented a campaign in 1949 to increase sales in June, since it was a month of low commercial activity because Mother’s Day had passed in May.
An astute Dória, who knew about the festivity in other parts of the world, chose the eve of San Antonio as the key date and his phrase to promote gifts between lovers was as sharp as Cupid’s arrow.
“It is not only with kisses that love is proven,” the advertisement read. The success was immediate and the Clipper won the title of Agency of the Year.
With the support of the Sao Paulo Confederation of Commerce and the joy of all merchants, June 12 was consolidated as a special date in Brazil with the right to exchange gifts and say: I love you.
According to popular chronicles, the date of February 14 was chosen almost everywhere in the world because it marks the anniversary of the death of Saint Valentine, a saint related to romantic love and faced with the prohibition of marriage in the Middle Ages.
When he was a bishop, Valentine disrespected the orders of the emperor who forbade marriages during the war so that his soldiers could fight better and secretly continued to unite passionate young men. He was arrested and sentenced to death.
Under the apothegm that love is enough for love, various countries celebrate Valentine’s Day in different ways.
Although the date is widely celebrated in the United States, reports reveal that the first Valentine’s letter was written in France in 1415, when the Duke of Orleans sent love letters to his wife from prison.
Currently, the French town called Valentine becomes the epicenter of festivities from February 12 to 14 of each year. Houses, gardens, trees and public spaces are decorated with cards, roses and wedding proposals.
Many couples also follow the tradition of planting a tree on the date, representing the love they share.
For its part, in the Philippines in recent years, February 14 is the day of mass marriage because the Government began to sponsor events so that young couples could get married.
Collective ceremonies take place in shopping malls and other public spaces across the country, bringing together hundreds of couples to sign their ties or renew their vows.
While Koreans do not limit the celebration of love to February. In South Korea, the 14th of each month of the year is celebrated in a different way. In May, for example, it is the “day of the roses”; in June, the “day of kisses”.
In February, the women give chocolates to the men. Each type of relationship calls for a different chocolate. On March 14, called White Day, it is men who give a gift to women.
And there’s even a day for singles: April 14, when they dress in black and dine together on a noodle called jjajang myeon, dyed black and made with pork and shellfish.
Ghana celebrates “Chocolate Day” on February 14. Tradition has no romantic history. The government set the date in 2007 to improve tourism in the country, one of the world’s largest cocoa producers.
On the 14th, there are shows, events and themed dinners in restaurants across Ghana to celebrate chocolate. The French novelist Marguerite Duras said it well: “No love can replace love.”
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