Festivals celebrating love – Lifestyle News

We are all familiar with Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. The festival, which originated as a Christian feast day honouring a martyr named Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. Through later folk traditions, Valentine’s Day has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. The day is generally associated with customs such as sending greeting cards, offering confectionery and presenting flowers. Valentine’s Day is, however, not the only day dedicated to love and romance. Here are some such festivals and occasions across the globe…

Saint George’s Day

Saint George’s Day is the feast day of Saint George, notably England’s patron saint, but celebrated also by Christian churches, countries, and regions of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Greece, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Syria, Lebanon, Catalonia, Alcoi, Aragon, and Rio de Janeiro. Saint George’s Day is celebrated on April 23, the traditionally accepted date of the saint’s death in the Diocletianic Persecution. Sending roses is the most significant thing about this festival. Anyone can make this offering, although as tradition dictates, it is the man who must give a rose to his beloved. Girls reciprocate with books to commemorate the deaths of authors William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantas, both of whom died on April 23.

St Dwynwen’s Day

St Dwynwen’s Day is Wales’ very own version of St Valentine’s Day and is celebrated on January 25 every year. St Dwynwen, sometimes known as Dwyn or Donwen, is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. She was a 4th-century Welsh princess who lived in what is now the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. Dwynwen was rather unlucky in love, so she became a nun. She prayed for true lovers to have better luck than she did. The popularity and celebration of St Dwynwen’s Day has increased considerably in recent years, with special events, such as concerts and parties, often held and the exchange of Dydd Santes Dwynwen greetings cards.

Dragobete

Dragobete is a traditional Romanian holiday celebrated on February 24. Dragobete was the son of Baba Dochia, which stands for the main person in the myth related to spring arrival and the end of the harsh winter. Due to his endless kindness he was chosen – according to some sources, by Virgin Mary – to be the ‘Guardian of Love’. The day is particularly known as ‘the day when the birds are betrothed’. It is around this time that the birds begin to build their nests and mate. On this day, considered locally the first day of spring, boys and girls gather vernal flowers and sing together. Maidens collect the snow that lies on the ground in many villages and then melt it, using the water in magic potions throughout the rest of the year. Those who take part in Dragobete customs are supposed to be protected from illness, especially fevers, for the rest of the year. If the weather allows, girls and boys pick snowdrops or other early spring plants for the person they are courting. In Romania, Dragobete is known as a day for lovers, much like Valentine’s Day.

Dia dos Namorados

Dia dos Namorados, or Lovers’ Day in Brazilian Portuguese, is a special date celebrated in Brazil on June 12. The date is celebrated with gifts, romantic activities, decorations and festivities. The date is June 12 since it is close to Saint Anthony’s Day on June 13. The term ‘Dia dos Namorados’ is also used in other Portuguese-speaking countries to refer to Valentine’s Day. During this time, single women sometimes perform rituals, known as ‘simpatias, in the belief that they will be the next to walk down the aisle.

Qixi Festival

The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of Zhinu and Niulang in Chinese mythology. The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. A celebration of romantic love, the festival is often described as the traditional Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day. The festival is derived from Chinese mythology: people celebrate the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinu and Niulang, who were the weaver girl and the cowherd, respectively. This tale has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to more than 2,600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry. The festival has variously been called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine’s Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival.

https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/festivals-celebrating-love/3390462/

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