Valentines Day In Colombia: Instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14, as most people do around the world, Colombians wait until the third Saturday in September to celebrate Dia del Amor y la Amistad, which means “Day of Love and Friendship.” This special and heartfelt holiday is celebrated on February 14.
In addition to the romantic aspects that are usually linked to Valentine’s Day, this one-of-a-kind holiday is celebrated. The goal of Dia del Amor y la Amistad is to honor all the ways that love and friendship make people’s lives better. It asks people to show their appreciation and thanks for all the important relationships they have, not just romantic ones but also friendships and family ties.
The idea behind this Colombian festival is to honor the value of love in all its forms. Showing appreciation for the good effects of loved ones works like a spark, creating a sense of unity and connection across communities. On this day, Colombians celebrate the spirit of Dia del Amor y la Amistad by coming together to remember how much love and friendship have changed their lives.
The History Of Valentine’s Day In Colombia
The origins of the Colombian festival Dia del Amor y la Amistad need to be clarified, but it is thought to have begun in the 1960s. Colombian businesses planned to boost sales in September, which is usually a slow month, after seeing how well Valentine’s Day did financially.
To get people to buy more, stores made their version of Valentine’s Day that focused on friendship instead of romantic love. This growth was meant to make their stores more appealing to a wider range of customers.
Despite its questionable commercial roots, this event has become one of Colombia’s most loved holidays across all age groups. Many people of all ages and backgrounds come together to celebrate. Dia del Amor y la Amistad has grown in social and cultural importance over time as a chance for people to strengthen their relationships with important people in their lives.
This festival has become an important part of Colombian culture as a way to bring people together and celebrate love, friendship, and respect.
Observing Valentine’s Day In Colombia
In Colombia, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a lot of different ways. Amigo Secreto, which means “Secret Friend” in English, is one of the most well-known. In a way similar to the December Secret Santa tradition in some other countries, this popular game adds a special touch to the celebrations.
Friends or coworkers make a budget like Amigo Secreto, write their names on pieces of paper, and put them in a bag to be drawn at random. Then, each person picks a name for someone to use to identify them as their Secret Friend for the event. The problem is finding the right gift for their secret friend while staying anonymous.
In Amigo Secreto, friends can share gifts, and candy, flowers, and small items are common gifts. The event also makes it easy for family, friends, or partners to get together for a special dinner, which makes everyone happier.
This culture values both giving gifts and the happiness that comes from spending time with loved ones and making new memories. It has become an important part of Colombian Valentine’s Day celebrations, giving the holiday a unique and loved touch.
How are there two Valentine’s days in Colombia?
In the 1960s, some Colombian businesspeople noticed that the economy was bad in the first three months of the year, which made it a bad time to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Their main problem was that Colombians had to pay more taxes at this time, which made it harder for them to spend money.
Parents who wanted to buy cards and candy for their kids to trade at school needed help, which cost money for families with kids. Because of these problems, people in Colombia came up with the idea of a “Day of Love and Friendship,” or “Día de Amor y Amistad,” which is like a second Valentine’s Day. This extra holiday gave Colombians a more useful way to show their love and appreciation.
Since September doesn’t have any other major holidays, “Día de Amor y Amistad” will be celebrated every year on the second Sunday of the month. The holiday falls on September 18 this year, giving Colombians a unique chance to celebrate love and friendship without having to spend a lot of money on Valentine’s Day.
To celebrate Colombian Valentine’s day
Chocolates and roses are still very popular and seen as classic signs of love in Colombia, just like they are on February 14, Valentine’s Day.
It’s kind and appreciated to make a delicious meal from scratch in Colombia, where fancy restaurants are less popular. Even if you need to improve at cooking, you can find simple recipes with a Google search. To add a unique touch and a nice surprise, look into food from the area where your Colombian partner lives.
Quality family time is very important to Colombians. It would be nice to receive a note or a small chocolate, but the most important thing is to spend time with loved ones. People in Colombia put a lot of value on family, so it’s very important to spend time with loved ones and bond with them. Remember that today is a day not only for love but also for friendship.
Taking a trip together is another great idea for a celebration. Making memories together adds a special touch to the celebration, whether it’s a fancy trip to a place no one has been before or a relaxing stroll in the park.
Think about taking the day off if you want to give your partner your full attention. In a world where work often comes first, this break gives you a chance to turn off your phone and email. Spending Sundays together is a fun tradition in Colombia, and it’s called “domingos.” This nice act shows how important love, friendship, and shared experiences are in your relationship by giving you and your partner time to spend together.
A Quick Rundown on Valentines Day in Colombia
Before we talk about the best ways to spend Valentine’s Day in Medellin, it’s important to know that in Colombia, February 14 is not a holiday. The official day for love and friendship is September 20, which is also known as El Dia del Amor y la Amistad (The Day of Love and Friendship).
On this holiday, friends and couples often give each other gifts and candy. But because there are foreigners living in Colombia, there is also a celebration going on at the same time, making February 14 an official day to honor love.
As a result, Medellin is a great place to celebrate both El Dia del Amor and la Amistad on February 14. Let us now look at the best places to spend Valentine’s Day in Medellin, a busy city.
Do Colombians celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day in Colombia, or as it should be known, Amor Y Amistad, is celebrated on the 3rd weekend of September and is approached with a similar fervor as the Colombians approach Halloween and Christmas, which is, to say the very least, wholeheartedly.
Tomorrow is Love and Friendship Day in Colombia, which is like Valentine’s Day for people there. It’s celebrated on September 17.
Not only does Valentine’s Day become a big business day for restaurants and stores in Colombia, but it also gives single people an unforgettable experience. Right now is a great time to be single because every club is full of single women looking for a fun night out.
On that weekend, we had the pleasure of entertaining four different groups from four different places. It’s interesting to note that all of them were bachelor parties. The ladies from the area made everyone in the group very happy.
Tell you a story about one of the funniest groups we’ve seen in months, but use their real names to protect their privacy. Without a doubt, they added a fun and lively vibe to the events over the weekend.
Is Valentine’s Day big in Colombia?
Not only is Valentine’s day in Colombia a very commercial day for restaurants, and shopping malls. But it’s also the perfect night to be single due to the dozens of single women at the clubs looking for a great night out.
It’s more than just restaurants and stores that are busy on Valentine’s Day in Colombia. But because there are so many single women looking for a great night out at the clubs, it’s also the best night to be single.
For Colombians, “Día del Amor y la Amistad” (Love and Friendship Day) is more important than Valentine’s Day. For some reason, this event is held on September 16 instead of February in Colombia. A growing number of people are now attending both festivals, though. You can add a little Colombian flair to your plans by using these great ideas for the perfect date. Celebrate the “cita a la Colombiana” wherever you are!
It is known that Colombians have strong emotions. We love being open and honest about our feelings and love, and we often show our love with thoughtful actions. On Valentine’s Day, which is also called Love and Friendship Day, we really go the extra mile to make our special someone feel great. Start your date in true Colombian style with a beautiful “made in Colombia” gift.
Presenting gifts is very important to us. In addition to showing love, care, and respect, it gives us a chance to show how well we know the other person. We love giving gifts to the people we care about all the time, but Valentine’s Day is a great time to do it.
What do Colombians do instead of Valentine’s Day?
In Colombia, love and friendship are celebrated on the same day, Sept. 16. Usually, workplaces, schools, and groups of friends exchange presents following the Secret Santa style used in the United States in December. Bolivia celebrates love and friendship on Sept.
In Colombia, people celebrate love in a way that is different from other places, and it doesn’t just happen on Valentine’s Day. In fact, they celebrate love and friendship for a whole month, with Love and Friendship Day (Día de Amor y Amistad) on the third Saturday in September. In Colombia today, it is linked to the memory of San Valentine, just like it is in other parts of the world on February 14.
San Valentine secretly married soldiers during the Roman Empire, even though Emperor Claudio II said that soldiers shouldn’t get married because he thought that troops who were in love would be less productive. When the emperor found out, San Valentine was sentenced to death and killed on February 14, 270. His death anniversary is celebrated on Valentine’s Day in most countries around the world since 1969.
But merchants in Colombia chose to celebrate in September instead. This decision was made because the person wanted to add fun and excitement to a month that had yet to have many memorable events before. In Colombia, flowers and chocolates, which are both signs of the holiday, are bought and sold during September.
How is Valentine’s Day celebrated in Colombia?
Although we’re big on love, Colombians don’t actually celebrate Valentine’s Day all that much; here we have “Día del Amor y la Amistad” (Love and Friendship Day), and we don’t usually celebrate it in February, but on September 16th (there is, however, an increasing number of people joining in both celebrations).
It is a one-of-a-kind event that Colombians call “Amor Y Amistad” (Love and Friendship Day). Colombians look forward to it with as much excitement as they do Halloween and Christmas. It takes place on the third weekend of September. So grab a big glass of wine, some flowers, and, just for extra points, some Carlos Vives music.
To celebrate Amor Y Amistad, bars, cafes, stores, and even homes are decorated with hearts all weekend and in the weeks before. There are many deals, like dinners for two for the price of one or free drinks for women (a perk for all you chicks out there). You can’t get away from the celebrations, which is good because Latin Americans are very good at them.
For example, Colombians get very excited about Valentine’s Day, while British people think it’s just a chance to get a card or a quick dinner. If you know that “Amor Y Amistad” means “love and friendship,” then no lonely hearts will be longingly looking through restaurant windows on this wonderful day.
In which country is Valentine’s Day called Lover’s day?
In most Latin American countries—for example, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico—Saint Valentine’s Day is known as Día de los Enamorados (Lovers’ Day) or as Día del Amor y la Amistad (Love and Friendship Day). It is also common to see people perform “acts of appreciation” for their friends.
In the Catholic Church, St. Valentine’s Day began as a feast day and was later added to the liturgical calendar around 500 AD. Today, different traditions honor three different saints with the name Valentine—Valentine, Valentinus, or Valentine—who were killed for their faith. However, the feast day was taken off the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar in 1969 because not much was known about these people, and the story of St. Valentine’s Day could be interpreted in different ways.
Many people have different ideas about how the myth of Saint Valentine came to be, but the real history of Saint Valentine, on whom the feast is based, still needs to be clarified. One story says that Roman Emperor Claudius II was going to cut off the head of Saint Valentine because he wouldn’t give up his faith in Christ.
His miraculous healing of the jailer’s daughter before he died is said to have led the jailer and his family to become Christians. A different story says that Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop who died the same way as the holiday’s namesake, was put to death.
Along with being a romantic holiday, Valentine’s Day in Colombia has a big effect on the economy. This holiday is a time for Colombians to show their gratitude to their friends and family. As a result, sales of flowers, cards, and gifts go through the roof. Because so many people chose to celebrate with special trips, restaurants, and entertainment spots saw a huge increase in business during this time.
A fun holiday tradition is to have “secret friends,” which is like the idea of Secret Santa. Participants draw names to find out who they will surprise with a gift, and the recipients are revealed on the day of the celebration. In addition to adding a sense of surprise and excitement to the celebration, this fun tradition helps groups of friends or coworkers strengthen their existing relationships and make new ones.
