Worldwide Day of Giving 2024 is on Saturday, June 15, 2024: Is Valentine's Day celebrated worldwide?

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Thanks to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day has emerged in Japan and Korea as a day on which women, and less commonly men, give candy, chocolate or flowers. It has become an obligation for many women to give chocolates to all male co-workers. In Japan this is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from the words giri ("obligation") and choko, from "chocolate".

By a further marketing effort, a reciprocal day called White Day has emerged. On March 14, men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. Originally, the return gift was supposed to be white chocolate or marshmallows; hence "White Day". However, lingerie has become a common gift.

In Korea, there is an additional Black Day on April 14, when those who did not receive anything for Valentine's Day or have anyone to give a gift to gather together to eat Jajangmyun (Chinese-style noodles in black sauce). In South Korea, there is also Pepero Day, celebrated on November 11, during which young couples give each other romantic gifts.

In Chinese Culture, there is a similar counterpart of the Valentine's Day. It is called "The Night of Sevens" (七夕), according to legend the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid meet in Heaven on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. The last "Night of Sevens" was on August 30, 2006. A slightly different version of this day is celebrated in Japan as Tanabata, on July 7th on the solar calendar.

In Egypt, there is another love day which is on November 4 each year. It is called "The Egyptian Love Day".

In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin." It is celebrated in much the same way as it is celebrated in the US.

In Persian culture (Iran) Sepandarmazgan is a day for love, which is on 29 Bahman in the jalali solar calendar. The corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar is 17 February. Sepandarmazgan were held in the Great Persian Empire in the 20th century BC.

According to Jewish tradition the 15th day of the month of Av - Tu B'Av (usually late August) is the festival of love (hag haahava). In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them (Mishna Taanith end of Chapter 4). In modern Israeli culture this is a popular day to pronounce love, propose marriage and give gifts like cards or flowers.

In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados (lit. "Day of the enamored", or "Boyfriend's/Girlfriend's Day") is celebrated on June 12, when couples exchange gifts such as chocolates, cards and usually a flower bouquet. This day is chosen probably because it is the day before the Saint Anthony's day, known there as the marriage saint, when many single women perform popular rituals in order to find a good husband (or nowadays, a boyfriend).

In Colombia, the Día del amor y la amistad (lit. "Love and Friendship Day") is celebrated

In Finland, Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day".

In Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine brings the keys of roots," so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow. ("Valentine — first saint of spring"), as in some places (especially White Carniola) Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring.

In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24.

In Denmark & Norway Valentine's Day (14 Feb) is known as Valentinsdag.

In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts Day") and was launched in the 1960's by the flower industry's commercial interests, and due to influence of American culture.

Valentine's Day also has regional traditions in the UK. In Norfolk a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although leavings treats, many children were scared of this mystical person.

In Asia, people celebrate it with a candle-light dinner.

In Wales many people celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers.

In Turkey, Valentine's Day is called Sevgililer Günü which translates into "Sweet Hearts Day".

Who named the days of the week? Who named the months of the year?

There are not always specific names given, but there are groups of people that are named responsible for creating certain names. See below:

The common explanation is that the seven-day week was established as imperial calendar in the late Roman empire and furthered by the Christian church for historical reasons. The British Empire used the seven-day week and spread it worldwide. Today the seven-day week is enforced by global business and media schedules, especially television and banking.

The first pages of the Bible explain how God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. This seventh day became the Jewish day of rest, the sabbath, Saturday.

Extra-biblical locations sometimes mentioned as the birthplace of the 7-day week include: Babylon, Persia, and several others. The week was known in Rome before the advent of Christianity.

Except for the sabbath, Jews simply number their week days.

A related method is partially used in Portuguese and Russian:

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English Portuguese Russian Meaning of Russian name

Monday segunda-feira ponedelnik After "do-nothing"

Tuesday terça-feira vtornik Second

Wednesday quarta-feira sreda Middle

Thursday quinta-feira chetverg Fourth

Friday sexta-feira pyatnitsa Fifth

Saturday sabado subbota Sabbath

Sunday domingo voskresenye Resurrection

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Most Latin-based languages connect each day of the week with one of the seven "planets" of the ancient times: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. French, for example, uses:

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English French "Planet"

Monday lundi Moon

Tuesday mardi Mars

Wednesday mercredi Mercury

Thursday jeudi Jupiter

Friday vendredi Venus

Saturday samedi Saturn

Sunday dimanche (Sun)

Month Latin Origin

January Januarius Named after the god Janus.

February Februarius Named after Februa, the purification festival.

March Martius Named after the god Mars.

April Aprilis Named either after the goddess Aphrodite or the Latin word aperire, to open.

May Maius Probably named after the goddess Maia.

June Junius Probably named after the goddess Juno.

July Julius Named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E. Prior to that time its name was Quintilis from the word quintus, fifth, because it was the 5th month in the old Roman calendar.

August Augustus Named after emperor Augustus in 8 B.C.E. Prior to that time the name was Sextilis from the word sextus, sixth, because it was the 6th month in the old Roman calendar.

September September From the word septem, seven, because it was the 7th month in the old Roman calendar.

October October From the word octo, eight, because it was the 8th month in the old Roman calendar.

November November From the word novem, nine, because it was the 9th month in the old Roman calendar.

December December From the word decem, ten, because it was the 10th month in the old Roman calendar.

Before today's Gegorian calendar was adopted, the older Julian calendar was used. It was admirably close to the actual length of the year, as it turns out, but the Julian calendar was not so perfect that it didn't slowly shift off track over the following centuries. But, hundreds of years later, monks were the only ones with any free time for scholarly pursuits -- and they were discouraged from thinking about the matter of "secular time" for any reason beyond figuring out when to observe Easter. In the Middle Ages, the study of the measure of time was first viewed as prying too deeply into God's own affairs -- and later thought of as a lowly, mechanical study, unworthy of serious contemplation.

As a result, it wasn't until 1582, by which time Caesar's calendar had drifted a full 10 days off course, that Pope Gregory finally reformed the Julian calendar.

Who came up with the idea of Father's Day?

Father's Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting. It is also celebrated to honor and commemorate our forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving, special dinners to fathers, and family-oriented activities. The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 13, 1910 through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. After listening to a church sermon at Spokane's Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909 about the newly recognized Mother's Day, Dodd felt strongly that fatherhood needed recognition, as well.[1] She wanted a celebration that honored fathers like her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who was left to raise his family alone when his wife died giving birth to their sixth child.[2]

Dodd was the first to solicit the idea of having an official Father's Day observance to honor all fathers. Enlisting help from the Spokane Ministerial Association in 1909, she arranged for the celebration of fatherhood in Spokane. On June 19, 1910, young members of the YMCA went to church wearing roses: a red rose to honor a living father, and a white rose to honor a deceased one.[2] Dodd traveled through the city in a horse-drawn carriage, carrying gifts to shut-in[clarification needed] fathers.[2]

It took many years to make the holiday official. In spite of support from the YWCA, the YMCA, and churches, Father's Day ran the risk of disappearing from the calendar.[3] Where Mother's Day was met with enthusiasm, Father's Day was often met with laughter.[3] The holiday was gathering attention slowly, but for the wrong reasons. It was the target of much satire, parody and derision, including jokes from the local newspaper Spokesman-Review.[3] Many people saw it as the first step in filling the calendar with mindless promotions.[3]

A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913.[4] In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized.[2] US President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress.[5] In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents"[5] In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.[2] Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.[2][5]

In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day is celebrated in many countries on November 19 for men and boys who are not fathers.