I don’t understand the concept but then yes, people say if we express love often, it won’t be that valuable, so to express that amount of love we need one special day to shower our beloved with lots of happiness. Agreed!

But if you really want to do something special for your partner, do something creative.  Do not just indulge in giving those expensive jewellery, chocolates, roses, and other materialistic presents. You can go a little extra mile and think of some innovative ways to spend this special day with your loved one.

You will surely agree with me that Valentine’s Day is just another event to spend money on fancy candies and flowers. Valentine’s Day is all about love, so shouldn’t your gifts show it? Sometimes, the most appreciated gifts are for free–a massage or a snuggling into the blanket and watching a movie or a series.

Here are some sweet gestures that will remind your significant other how much you care about him/her.

1. A Spa Night

Surprise your significant other with a spa and a massage session. Sounds interesting, isn’t it? You can fill up the bathtub with foam and rose petals and glass of wine or any other drink that you both love and some chocolates to nibble on by the side of the bathtub. Also, arrange for some soft and romantic music.

And also prepare the bedroom for a massage session. Line the bed with fresh towels and arrange for spa products or you can just give him/her a massage with some essential oils or lotion or moisturizer. Give him/her a gentle and sexy massage. And then, you can plan up something sexy and romantic, depend on you two.

This is one of the best ways to spend time together where you don’t have to spend much time, effort and money. And trust me, with this plan you both will have a great time together!

2. A Candle-light Dinner at Home

If you love cooking, make a home-made Valentine’s special meal that you both love. And if cooking is not your forte, order from your favorite place, but ditch those containers and re-plate the meal elegantly. For an extra special touch, you can also write a sweet and touching message for your partner and leave it on the dining table.

Make it more romantic with a bunch of candles. Switch off all the overhead lights and lamps, just lit a few candles all over the room. These candles will instantly make the ambiance more romantic.

Bring out the chef in you this Valentine’s and surprise your partner!

3. Surprise your beloved with Breakfast in Bed

You don’t have to spend hours on making an sumptuous meal. Look out in your pantry and fridge, whip up something easy, like sandwiches, omelettes, tea/coffee, cookies, fruits, but make it presentable and special with a love note. You will surely get a brownie point if you can make any food into a heart-shape: P.

Wake him/her up with a gentle kiss and a hug and surprise him with this special breakfast. It will surely make his day!

Easy right? So, take a chill-pill this Valentine’s and enjoy the day without any pressure of buying any gift.

4. Stargaze together

Cuddling up with your partner in a blanket with a glass of wine and gazing stars is truly bliss! Stargazing with your significant other is an easy and fun Valentine’s Day idea.

You just need to be patient and pet your eyes adjust to the dark. Just lay down and enjoy your partner’s company, make a conversation, cuddle with each other and enjoy the night. The romance comes when you connect with each other.

What do you think now, is there is anything fancy that you need to create the romance?

5. Write a letter or mail them

If you want to truly acknowledge your loved one, simply write a letter or mail them. It shows how thoughtful you are and it’s an instant keepsake. You don’t have to be a poet or even good at spelling or grammar, the sincerity of words are enough to express your love.

Just let them know how much they mean to you, what you admire about them and mention your favorite shared memories or inside jokes.

Most people won’t be expecting a letter, which makes it all the way better.

Valentine’s Day has become commercialized to deplete your bank account. However, celebrating Valentine’s Day means celebrating love which should be all about your thoughts, expression and how much you value one another. And your date will surely remember the sweet gesture than pricey bouquet or gift.

So, make the most of this Valentine’s Day! Be romantic, be thoughtful, presentable, expressive, and most importantly respect each other!

The post 5 Unique Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day appeared first on Amazing Things.

Let’s see how these countries celebrate this day of love in their own style.

France

It is said that that first-ever Valentine’s Day was created in France, when Charles, The Duke of Orleans, sent love letters to his wife from the prison in 1415. With this, the people of France started celebrating Valentine’s Day. The French village called “Valentine” turns into a place of romance between 12^th to 14^th February. The yards and trees are fully decorated with fairy lights and homes are decked with love cards, roses, marriage flake proposals. One can say it’s one of the most beautiful Valentine’s Day tradition around the world.

South Korea

The couples in South Korea celebrate their love 14^th of each month. Now, this is interesting, right? They celebrate “Rose Day” on 14^th May, “Kiss Day” on 14^th June, and “Hug Day” in December. They have a tradition where singles wear a black dress and celebrate eating black noodles (jjajang myeon) with their friends in April, hence the day is known as “Black Day”. And like in many other countries, people in South Korea also exchange gifts, flowers, chocolates with their loved ones.

Denmark

Denmark celebrates the day of love and romance with a twist. People in Denmark believe that Valentine’s Day is a day of love, so it’s not only about lovers, it’s also about friends and family. And this special day is just not limited to the exchange of gifts, roses, and chocolates. People who celebrate Valentine’s Day in Denmark exchange handmade cards with pressed white flowers, called snowdrops.

Adorable, right?

Japan

The Valentine’s Day celebration gets as sweet as chocolates in Japan. Japan has a very fascinating Valentine’s Day tradition. The girls give chocolates to the guys and these chocolates are divided into categories. If a girl gives “Giri Choco” to her male friend, colleague or supervisor, it means she is giving these chocolates as an obligation with no romantic association. On the other hand, if a girl gives “Honmei Choco” with a handmade gift, it implies she has some other kind of affection towards that guy.

However, the guy does not give anything in return on that day. He has to return the gift with chocolates and other gifts after a month that is, on March 14, known as “White Day”. Guys, you get an ample time to celebrate: P

Germany

The Valentine’s Day in Germany has become popular recently. The locals celebrate it with great enthusiasm. The couples exchange flowers, chocolates, heart-shaped gifts and other gifts with something special. You will be either surprised or shocked when you will read what that special thing is.

It’s a pig!

Yes, you read it right! Germans believe pig represents luck and lust, and it can be given in a picture form, a small miniature statue, and chocolates in the shape of a pig or anything that is suitable. Also, Germans prepare heart-shaped ginger cookies to give their loved ones which contains romantic phrases and messages.

Taiwan

Taiwan is famous for its flowers and if flowers are said to be romantic, Taiwan celebrates the most romantic Valentine’s Day in the world. They celebrate the day of love twice a year: 14^th February and 7^th July.

According to Taiwanese tradition, the color and number of roses represent a message for their loved ones. For example, a red rose signifies only “love”, ninety-nine red roses indicates “love forever”, and one hundred and eight roses pop up the question, “Will you marry me”?

So, ready to celebrate Valentine’s this year with Taiwanese Tradition? If yes, think carefully before giving out the roses: P

Italy

Originally, Italians used to celebrate Valentine’s Day as the Spring Festival. Everyone used to gather in the gardens and enjoy poetry reading before taking a stroll with their beloved.

Italians even had another intriguing Valentine’s Day tradition for young and unmarried girls. The belief was that the first man an unmarried girl saw after waking up in the morning would be the man whom she would marry within a year. This is a little weird, but yes, it was a tradition and people followed it whole-heartedly.

Today, Italians celebrate Valentine’s Day similar to that of many other countries with exchanging of gifts and followed by a romantic dinner. The most popular Valentine gift is “Baci Perugina”, hazelnuts covered with chocolate, wrapped with romantic quotes in four different languages. This gift is a must on Valentine’s Day if you really want to woo your partner.

South Africa

South Africa celebrates Valentine’s Day with flowers and other tokens of love. But, the tradition does not end here, it has a twist. The women in South Africa wear heart-shaped paper and pin it on their sleeves with the names of their love interest. This is an ancient Roman tradition known as “Lupercalia”. And this is also one of the ways South African men learn of their secret admirers. Interesting, isn’t it?

Don’t you think if you are celebrating Valentine’s this year, you should make it a special one by following some different tradition? Think over it, your partner will surely love it. Celebrate in a unique style and surprise your partner!

So, which tradition are you going to follow this year?

The post Celebrate Valentine’s Day in a Unique Tradition appeared first on Amazing Things.

Every store, malls, shopping complexes, restaurants gleams with sparkling decoration. These stores and restaurants offer various couple schemes and discounts. And the gift stores buzz like a beehive.

These businesses actually take a boom as many people celebrate Valentine’s Day with extravagance and ornateness.

The couples plan grand surprises for their partners and put quite a lot of effort, time, and money to woo their partner. They want this special day to be “perfect” to express their love and affection to their partner.

Couples plan a dinner date, book spa appointments, buy expensive gifts, and many starts celebrating this V-Day a week before and send different gifts every day to their lover.

Celebrating love is virtuous, but why celebrate love only on this particular day? What about the other 365 days?

Honestly, I have never been Valentine’s Day fan. I do not understand the concept of giving gifts or expressing love on just one day of the year.

Do most of us even know why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day or the origin of this day?

I don’t think so. Mostly, people know that the day was named after St. Valentine and do not have any reliable information that can be traced down to facts.

So technically, we have no idea why we go so frenzy when February begins.

I don’t understand why it’s so much hyped in the first place!

Are we blindly doing something just because rest of the world is doing it? Don’t you feel Valentine’s Day has become a day filled with consumerism?

I have seen many people spending a huge amount of money to buy gifts and plan surprises for their partner. Valentine’s Day has become a kind of event to spend money to express love to their partners. Sure, it’s one’s personal choice. I am just of the opinion that Valentine’s Day should not be the only day to shower your loved ones with love, care, surprises, and gifts.

There is nothing wrong thinking out of the box and gifting your partner and returning favors. And if you feel Valentine’s is the best day to remind you to go extra special and it serves your purpose, go ahead! But do know, if this day brings a pressure on you or on your partner to do something special, it will surely lead to disappointment in the future.

However, I believe love is not about chocolates, teddy bears, roses, expensive jewellery; there are better ways to express love. The small gestures that spread out over the course of relationship are important than a grand celebration on just one day. What do you think about it?

For me, an element of genuine surprise, love, care and a small gesture would be more affectionate than these forced romantic rituals.

Why do I need Valentine’s Day when I can go for a candle-light dinner with my guy on any random day? When I can gift him something nice that he actually needs without any reason. When I can make him feel special by surprising him on any weekend or any day?

I prefer to express my love whenever I feel to or when it’s least expected rather when they are supposed to be done.

What’s love?

Love is when you cook for each other or head to any café in your pyjamas. When you laugh over each other’s stupid jokes, fix each other’s hair, dance with each other like crazy, go for a walk, engage in some meaningless conversation and later laugh over it.

We (my guy and me) have been spending Valentine’s Day like any other day as the vibe of this day never charmed us. It’s like any other random day for us.

We prefer to spend some quality time together, even if it’s just sitting and watching a movie or series. It’s the presence of each other that actually matters!

And it’s just not on Valentine’s Day but all the days throughout!

Valentine’s Day is totally worse for those who are single. It’s like a curse for them. People who are happily single are made to feel like shit as they are not sharing candle-light dinner with anyone, not being showered with gifts, not even getting laid in most of the cases. Seeing couples at each and every corner of the street, they cry over it.

I don’t think single people need to cry over these things as you celebrate love with your friends, family and love yourself. Celebrating love doesn’t mean you need someone to celebrate with. You can do this on any day and with any of your close and loved ones.

Isn’t it?

Celebrate love throughout the year and make your partner feel special every day, utter those lovely words every day, appreciate them often, surprise them randomly, shower them with extra love and care, support them, understand them, and spend quality time together. This is what celebrating love is all about!

The post Why Celebrate Valentine’s Day? appeared first on Amazing Things.