Valentine's day research

For some of you who have not chosen a country yet, Denmark is interesting. In Brasil it is a little different and is celebrated on June 12th and is called " Dia dos Namorados" and is celebrated like most wealthier people do in Brasil with lavish parties. It's also the same in Portugal. In South America it's celebrated with the day of the secret friend where they randomly assign "to each participant a recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift"

In India this is very interesting how some are trying to preserve Indian culture, a topic that is good to always think about as teachers.a lot of countries in Saudi Arabia ban anything having to do with hearts, half hearts and even Teddy Bears. Something to think about.

"In modern times, Hindu and Islamic^[62] traditionalists consider the holiday to be cultural contamination from the West, result of the globalization in India.^[60][61] Shiv Sena and the Sangh Parivar have asked their followers to shun the holiday and the "public admission of love" because of them being "alien to Indian culture".^[63] These protests are organized by political elites, but the protesters themselves are middle-class Hindu men who fear that the globalization will destroy the traditions in his society: arranged marriages, hindu joint families, full-time mothers (see Housewife#India), etc.^[61][62]
Despite these obstacles, valentine's day is becoming increasingly popular in India.^[64]"

This is also  from Wiklpedia:

"The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines.^[35] In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange cards, and are given sweets. The greeting cards of these students sometimes mention what they appreciate about each other." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Scroll down on the link to the page above and there is a wonderful pictorial history of valentine cards.

This is going to be great fun to share all our research and make some of our own creations the next time we meet. I ordered the supplies today but if there is something you want to bring, feel free to do so.