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SOUTH KOREA - where people “mourn” being sit In South Korea, Valentine’s Day is also celebrated on Feb. 14, but it doesn’t end there. On Valentine’s Day, women must present the men in their lives with chocolate. On Mar. 14, one month later, the men must repay the women who gave them chocolate by giving them candy instead. This is called White Day. Then on Apr. 14, Black Day is celebrated. This is a day when singles must take the time to mourn their single lives. In addition to having separate similar holidays throughout the year, South Koreans give their loved ones several boxes of chocolate, rather one box alone. ky FSX jewellery ~ express yourself JAPAN- where women give chocolates to men During Feb. 14, tradition holds that women give men the gift of chocolate. However, ndcronted the type of chocolate given depends greatly on the nature of the relationship. These 7 Jenelled chocolates are very special, because they are hand made by the women themselves. One month later on White Day (Mar. 14), men are expected to return gifts that are at least two or three times more valuable than the gifts received on Senta’ ’s Day. 249 Queen Street, Port Perry Not returning the gift is perceived as the man placing himself in a position of 905-982-8778 superiority. Returning a present of equal value is considered as a way to say that www.dbsilversmithdesigns.com you are ending the relationship. DENMARK - where love is anonymous In this country, the day of love is taken very seriously, with some people even taking the day off work to celebrate it. Often, lavish parties are thrown to celebrate the holiday. Danish men also write funny Valentine’s Day cards, called -kkebrev, and sign them anonymously. If the recipient is able to who the secret note came from, she will be given an Easter egg in the ing. And while Danish people new exchange bunches of red neces, the original tradition in Denmark was to exchange white flowers, called snowdrops. SLOVENIA- where it’s the day to resume work in the fields St. Valentine is one of the saints of spring in Slovenia, and it is said that plants and flowers start to grow on this day. Often, it is the first day of the year when work starts on vineyards and in the fields. According to tradition, St Valentine comes on Feb. 14th to bring keys to all the roots, meaning that nature begins to awaken. a is also a strongly held tradition that the birds of the fields propose to their loved ones on this day and marry. The annual day of love celebrated in Slovenia actually falls on Mar. 12, Saint Gregory’s Day. GREAT BRITAIN - where is’s not just for lovers In the UK., Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day for lovers. It’s a day celebrated by children across the country, as well. The children sing special songs devoted to the occasion. The youngsters sometimes go TAIWAN - where it’s celebrated twice In Taiwan, the holiday of love is celebrated twice during the year. Once on Feb. 14 and once on July 7, which, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, is Feb. 14. On these two special days of the year, men send their loved ones red roses, but not the usual fon. a fact, the auniber of roses is very significant One red rose means your eparines views you as his one and only love, 11 roses means you ai his favourite, 99 roses means his love is forever and 100 red roses is a marriage proy like hot cross buns, plums and other sweets. Roses by the Dozen?.. Says Who? Order our WALES - where a spoon signifies love BigBl res Though unusual by today’s standards, men get 14 beautiful in Wales give their special ladies a wooden long stem red spoon for Valentine’s Day. This tradition that roses for the dates back to at least the 1600s dictates that same price a man should hand-carve a wooden spoon i as 12 and present it to his love interest. If she is interested in the man, she will accept his gift. ‘Though no one hand carves their own spoons anymore, or uses them as a means to determine whether or not their love interest wants to pursue a relationship, the custom floral « garden « gifts 158 water street, port perry 905.985.3033 @14 cameron st. e., cannington 705.432.3340 $43 brock street, uxbridge 905-862-3697 cy FOCUS - FEBRUARY 2014 17