RomanticMemos

What does Valentine’s day mean to you?

• A fake, manufactured “holiday”?
• An awkward day when your what-do-I-give anxieties run amok?
• An opportunity to romance your sweetheart?
• Just another day?

I’d suggest it’s an opportunity to create a unique Romantic Interlude.

Not going to dwell on the history of Valentine’s. Suffice to say, pretty much anywhere you go on this Earth, Valentine’s is dedicated to love and romance.

If the idea of another Valentine’s dinner (waiting for a table), roses (which mysteriously doubled in price) or finding the right gift for this “romantic” day traumatize you, surprise your sweetheart with an international Valentine’s celebration.

In Denmark, sweethearts exchange pressed white flowers called Snowdrops. And these flowers last much longer than cut roses. A quick online search will provide directions for pressing flowers.

Ghana celebrates February 14 with lots of chocolate, lauded in song, theatre and dance. It’s also the gift of choice for one’s sweetheart.

Danish men send their sweethearts Gaekkebrev (joking letters) with funny poems written on elaborately cut paper, signed only with dots.

In Bulgaria, San Trifon Zartan (day of winemakers) is celebrated. Couples celebrate their love with glasses of local wines. Hopefully this celebration includes some food so one can remember the celebration.  

Welsh guys carve (or purchase) a love spoon for their sweetheart. The carved patterns include “keys” to the man’s heart.

Don’t forget Italy where it’s popular to give your sweetheart Boci Perugina. The small, chocolate-covered hazelnuts must be wrapped with romantic quotes printed in four languages.

If none of these are attractive to you, research the traditions of the Philippines, Japan, Slovenia or Argentina’s week of sweetness. The idea is to create a unique memory for the two of you this Valentine’s day.

Be an international romantic. And keep your Romance Alive.