Valentine's Day, Chinese Valentine's Day and Love Letters

It's that the time of the year again - February 14^th - Valentine's Day! But before I tell you how you can use a love letter to make your Valentine's Day a day to remember, I'd like to tell you about another Valentine's Day - February 21^st 2008.

February 21^st 2008 is another Valentine's Day, a Chinese version, which is the fifteen day of the Chinese New Year. The Chinese follow a lunar calendar which basically falls on different days every year. I am telling you this so that you can celebrate both. Wouldn't it be nice that when you celebrate the February 14^th and then invite the other person for another celebration - February 21^st. Not many people will know this but now you do. I will tell you a little more about Chinese Valentine's Day.

Most of us know about Valentine's Day but the Chinese Valentine's Day is a rather unique story. In the old days, men and women did not meet so freely. Valentine's Day was the only day that the women, especially those who were single, were allowed to dress up and go out to have fun. Their version of fun was to go a place especially near a sea-side. They would be at their best dressed. Of course, the men would be there too and they would be on the look-out for the prettiest girls. 'Eye contact' would fly all over the place between the men and women. The men would try to find out where the girls of their choice stayed and later would make a proposition to the girl's family for her hand in marriage, if he still liked her. Now, during the old days, men and women seldom talked to each other. During these special outings, the girls would also throw oranges into the sea and make a prayer that they would find a suitable husband.