St. Valentine's day / The love and friendship day

Traditionally in Britain, spring begins on St. Valentine's Day (February 14th), It also was called 'the Birds' Wedding Day'. It is the traditional day on which people express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery.

In Colombia, this day is celebrated the third Saturday of September and It's a traditional celebration where the friends, in love, bride and groom, husbands and lovers are expressed their love. Colombians don't celebrate St. Valentine's day in February because that month is the school season and besides is carries out one of the most important festivities of the Country: The Carnival of Barranquilla.


Some women in England get up before sunrise on Valentine's Day. They stand by the window watching for a man to pass. They believe that the first man they see, or someone who looks like him, will marry them within a years or if the names of all a girl's suitors were written on paper and wrapped in clay and the clay put into water, the piece that rose to the surface first would contain the name of her husband-tobe.

But we have the tradition to play "The secret friend". This common tradition consists of introducing in a container small roles with the names of the participants, then, each one goes extracting a role of the container and they should give a gift the person whose name say the role. Also we do exchanges of invitations to have dinner and small meetings with the most nearby friends. The gift is complemented with an exit to eat, to dance or to stroll and to celebrate the fortune of the Love and the Friendship. As much bride and groom as friends exchange gifts, according to the personal preferences and the economy.