Associate News

Don’t forget about Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and with that, stores in many places are flooded with heart-shaped candies, stuffed toys, balloons, and varieties of chocolates. While stores filled with red balloons and gifting materials is a common sight during Valentine’s Day, traditions around the world occur in different ways that reflect local ideas about love.

世界各地的情人節傳統。情人節將至，許多地方的商店都擺滿了心形糖果、毛絨玩具、氣球和各種巧克力。雖然情人節期間商店裡擺滿紅色氣球和禮物已是司空見慣的景象，但世界各地的慶祝方式卻各有不同，反映了當地對愛情的理解。

CHINA - CELESTIAL LOVE STORY.

Qixi Festival, also known as Double Seventh Festival or Chinese Valentine's Day, has been a traditional Chinese romantic festival for over 2,000 years. Traditions of the Qixi Festival include making wishes and paying homage to the mythical lovers, Niulang, and Zhinü. Activities like stargazing, creating shaped fruit, and praying for love and happiness are also part of the celebrations.

中國——天上的愛情故事。七夕節，又稱重七節或中國情人節，是擁有兩千年歷史的中國傳統浪漫節日。七夕節的傳統習俗包括許願、祭拜神話中的戀人牛郎織女。觀星、製作造型水果、祈求愛和幸福等活動也是慶祝活動的重要組成部分。

ENGLAND – FESTIVAL OF ROMANTIC LOVE.

There’s a variety of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in England, but one of the more popular ways is to be regaled by the sweet sound of children singing. In turn, little crooners get candy, fruit or money. Some might even trade Valentine buns — also known as “plum shuttles” — baked with raisins, plums or caraway seeds to commemorate a bountiful harvest.

英國—浪漫愛情情節。在英國，慶祝情人節的方式多種多樣，其中最受歡迎的方式之一是聆聽孩子們甜美的歌聲。作為回報，孩子們會收到糖果、水果或零用錢。有些人甚至會互贈情人節麵包——也叫「李子麵包」——這種麵包裡加入了葡萄乾、李子或香芹籽，以慶祝豐收。

FRANCE – EPICENTRE OF ROMANCE.

The French village called “Valentine” turns into the epicentre of romance between the 12th and 14th of February. One can see the beautiful yards, trees, and homes decorated with love cards, roses, and proposals for marriage flakes. It probably is the most beautiful Valentine’s Day traditions in the world.

法國——浪漫之都。每年2月12日至14日，法國小鎮瓦倫丁（Valentine）都會化身為浪漫的中心。美麗的庭院、樹木和房屋都裝飾著愛情卡、玫瑰和求婚紙片。這或許是世界上最美好的情人節傳統。

GERMANY - DAY OF SWINE LOVE.

If you’ve had enough of heart-shaped trinkets on Valentine’s Day, get inspired by German couples who exchange pig-shaped gifts instead. Apparently, the pig is the symbol of both love and lust, so it’s not uncommon to give and receive pig statues, stuffed animals and more. Flowers and chocolates are also shared, as well as ginger cookies featuring loving phrases in icing.

德國——豬之戀日。如果你已經厭倦了情人節裡千篇一律的心形禮物，不妨從德國情侶互贈豬形禮物中汲取靈感。據說，豬既是愛的象徵，也是慾望的象徵，因此互贈豬雕像、毛絨玩具等禮物並不罕見。鮮花、巧克力以及用糖霜寫著愛語的薑餅也是常見的禮物。

JAPAN – EXCHANGE OF UNIQUE GIFTS.

Chocolate is the way to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan. If someone’s really into you, you’ll get “honmei choco” (true love chocolate). But if you’re a friend or relative, you’ll enjoy “giri choco” (obligatory chocolate) instead. Honestly, it sounds like a sweet deal either way.

日本－互贈獨特禮物。在日本，巧克力是慶祝情人節的必備禮物。如果對方真的喜歡你，你會收到「本命巧克力」（honmei choco）。但如果對方只是朋友或親戚，你收到的則是「義理巧克力」（giri choco）。說實話，無論哪種方式，聽起來都很甜蜜。

MEXICO – DAY OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP.

You don’t have to be in a romantic relationship to revel in the love fest that is Valentine’s Day in Mexico. That’s because Feb. 14 is “El Día del Amor y Amistad,” which translates to the “Day of Love and Friendship,” where everyone regardless of their relationship status can celebrate with flowers, cards, stuffed animals and more.

墨西哥—愛與友誼日。即使沒有戀愛關係，你也能在墨西哥盡情享受情人節的甜蜜氛圍。因為2月14日是“El Día del Amor y Amistad”，意為“愛與友誼日”，無論戀愛狀態如何，每個人都可以用鮮花、賀卡、毛絨玩具等來慶祝這個節日。

PHILIPPINES – A GALA EVENT.

In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is the time when many young couples marry in an event sponsored by the government as a form of public service. Among the most amazing Valentine’s Day celebrations around the world, this one is a gala event in the country and a special day for young people.

菲律賓—盛大婚禮。在菲律賓，情人節是許多年輕情侶在政府贊助的婚禮慶典上喜結連理的日子，政府也將其視為一項公益活動。作為全球最令人難忘的情人節慶祝活動之一，菲律賓的這場盛大婚禮是年輕人的專屬節日。

SOUTH KOREA – FOR A UNIQUE SET OF EXPERIENCE.

The romantic couples in South Korea celebrate the day of love on the 14th of each month. Yeah, you read it right! “the day of roses” is celebrated in May, “the day of kisses” is celebrated in June, “the day of hugs in December” and single people celebrate “the black day” in April by eating black noodles. It is a completely different and old Valentine’s Day traditions around the world.

韓國－獨一無二的體驗。韓國的浪漫情侶們會在每個月的14日慶祝情人節。沒錯，你沒看錯！五月是“玫瑰節”，六月是“親吻節”，十二月是“擁抱節”，而單身人士則會在四月慶祝“黑色情人節”，吃黑色麵條。這與世界各地截然不同，有著悠久的情人節傳統。

TAIWAN – CYCLES OF RECIPROCITY.

What sets Taiwan apart from many other countries is that it recognizes not just one, but three major "Valentine’s Days" each year. This triad of love-centric holidays illustrates how global and traditional customs coexist. This sequence creates a cycle of reciprocity, if someone receives a gift on February 14, they are expected to return a gift of equal or greater value on White Day.

台灣——互惠的循環。台灣與其他許多國家不同之處在於，它每年慶祝的「情人節」不只一個，而是三個。這三個以愛為主題的節日體現了全球化與傳統習俗的和諧共存。這種安排形成了一種互惠的循環：如果有人在2月14日收到禮物，那麼他們通常會在白色情人節回贈一份價值相等或更高的禮物。