This article is part of the Voyeur 2020 
It’s no secret that partners across the United States will be expressing their love for each other in a today in a variety of ways, ranging from sweet to sexy. However, there’s a broad misconception that Valentine’s Day is exclusively an American tradition. Well, okay, maybe the patent-pending term “Valentine’s Day” is exclusively American, but designating days of the year to the celebration of love is a universal practice.
There are many countries that celebrate romance, and some of them even put the United States tradition of Valentine’s Day to shame. For example, in Argentina, an entire week out of their calendar year is dedicated to the exchange of pastries and other sweets for romantic affection. This tradition is aptly named
“Sweetness Week,” and is embraced by more than 25 million Argentinians each year.
Travel northeast, the tradition of romantic celebration actually occurs every month in South Korea. Indeed, the 14th of each month is devoted to an aspect of romance. June 14 is designated as “Kiss Day,” while Dec. 14 is reserved as “Hug Day,” to name a few.
Historically, Valentine’s Day has been a popular day of choice in the United States for marriage proposals. This tradition is not lost abroad. In the Philippines, their romance celebration typically consists of mass wedding ceremonies. This day is such an integral part of Phillipino culture that the government actually subsidizes the event. In the Philippines, no other date exceeds the importance of Valentine’s Day, with the exception of Christmas.
Not all of the celebrations center exclusively on romantic passions, though. Many countries broaden their Valentine’s Day to include passionate friendships. For example, in Estonia, love is celebrated on “Friendship Day,” which occurs on the 14th of February each year.
Clearly, the rest of the world has some pretty intriguing ideas about various ways to celebrate love. The key takeaway, however, is that these celebrations can break through geographic and demographic differences that typically serve as walls dividing countries across the world. It’s interesting to, amongst the sea of differences, find such similarities. Now, in light of these discoveries, I think I’ll try my luck with a plane ticket to Argentina and see what “Sweetness Week” is all about!
