As we know here in America, Valentine’s Day is celebrated very commercially, with chocolates, flowers, et cetera. In other countries, though that is not always the case, we are going to go over a few countries and how they celebrate. 

Ginevra Longi is a beloved foreign exchange student who came to our Lodi schools for the first semester of this year from Italy. She talked about how some schools there celebrate: “In some schools, they have something where you can anonymously send a rose or a piece of paper to someone you like or a friend.”

As our students here know, they do a similar thing with candy canes during the holiday season. She also confirmed that in Italy, couples spend Valentine’s Day outdoors, enjoying nature, scrolling through parks and gardens, or having a nice lunch outside.  Countries in Europe celebrate Valentine’s Day in similar ways, but every country is slightly unique and often has a tradition of its own.

In another area of the world, Valentine’s Day in Mexico has many intriguing traditions of its own. Valentine’s Day in Mexico is known as Día del Amor y la Amistad, which means the day of love and friendship, and it is a very big celebration. They do not only celebrate by gifting and hanging around significant others, but also friends and family. Many gifts, like chocolates and flowers, are very big, similar to how they are in the US. They also have parties in their schools for this day and bring candy for the students and teachers.

Senior Analuz Salto shared common Mexican celebrations and candies. “Paletas de corazon are very common, as are chocolates.” If you do not know what that is, it is a heart-shaped sucker.

Around 30 countries around the world celebrate a form of Valentine’s Day, but something they all have in common is the celebration of love. 

“Where there is love, there is life.” -Mahatma Gandhi