Ideas to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Members of NWNY community share their plans for the date – and how it is celebrated in their native countries

Written by Maria Pyaterneva

There are many legends about the origins of Valentine’s Day. But  we can all agree that this holiday is the most romantic day of the year.  Even if you are not celebrating, it’s hard to avoid the “Love is in the air” vibe. Hearts are everywhere, and the city gets colored in shades of pink and red. The Empire State Building (picture in the left), one of the most iconic buildings in the city, traditionally has special lighting effects in honor of Valentine’s Day – this year, the top of the spire will be lit with alternating red and pink sparkles.

Six years ago, while still living in my native  Saint Petersburg, Russia, I planned a trip to New York City around this date with my husband. It would be our first trip together to the United States. On Valentine’s Day, the city was beautifully covered by snow — actually a snowstorm, but we didn’t care about it. We had coffee with donuts in the morning somewhere in Harlem and went to Times Square through Central Park. We decided to see the sunset at the Empire State Building and then have dinner somewhere in the city. We didn’t make any reservations. 

At Times Square, I was given a little teddy bear. It was a promotional event but I joked that the city already loved me! The sunset was beautiful and made us feel lucky to be here. The dinner, not so much — expensive and not so tasty. Now, six years later, and living in New York, I am still very excited about the city. I’m celebrating this year at the Rockefeller rooftop with my husband. Memories about our trip to New York City remind us about our tradition to go up to the sky to see the sunset while the rest of the world is celebrating as well. 

To help you look for inspiration on how to celebrate, I asked members of the New Women New Yorkers’s community what their plans. Check it out how they are going to celebrate. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sara (South Korea)
“In South Korea, only girls give presents to their partners on February 14th and then, on March 14th (it is called White Day) guys give their partners presents. Both days are very popular, but of course, older couples do not enthusiastically celebrate like young people. When I found out that both men and women celebrate Valentine’s day, I thought that was really interesting and convenient. I am going to celebrate Valentine’s day by having a nice dinner with my husband”.

Evgenia (Russia)
“I don’t usually celebrate this holiday but this year I am open to try. I like that Americans know how to make an atmosphere and every holiday looks beautiful. I don’t feel sentimental but it could be a perfect day for a cozy evening when you could say one more time love words for your favorite people and family”. 

Tatiana (Brazil)
“The celebration of the holiday is  actually the same as here – restaurants or dinner at home, gifts. It’s a different day though, on June 12th. Some say it’s because it’s one day before Saint Anthony’s day — he is known as the matchmaker saint in Brazil. Single people pray to him to get married and they say it works! Others say it was established in June as a way to promote sales – this month had traditionally low sales rate.  I have no plans for the holiday this year because my valentine will be in Brazil.”

Anastassiya (Kazakhstan)
“ I love this holiday for the feel of it, even though I have been single for a long long time. Reds and pinks are everywhere, couples buying gifts, roses and chocolates. It reminds me of middle school, when we were buying little cute Valentine’s cards. We had “The Love Post”, and cards were delivered to our friends, classmates and crushes. Even when people say it’s a fake holiday, for me, it is as fake as Christmas. I am not Catholic and I had never celebrated December 24th before coming to the US. But I do enjoy the feel of Christmas, its reds and greens, people buying gifts and being kind and nice (because Santa is watching). The holidays, fake or real, bring people together in holiday cheer, love and kindness.”

Olga (Ukraine)
“Every couple can create their own holiday traditions, as nothing is set in stone. Where and how to celebrate Valentine’s day is a matter of personal choice. It is no surprise that most of the restaurants on Valentine’s day will be crowded and will be offering only Prix Fixe menus. So if you are looking for a long, romantic dinner with impeccable service and a great variety of dishes, consider booking a table on a different day. My husband and I are going to celebrate this Valentine’s Day one day later – on February 15th. We want to enjoy this day in a more private setting.”

Maria (Russia)
“I remember myself in middle school waiting to check my Saint valentine’s box. I was so excited to receive a valentine with warm words from my first love. You never knew whether someone was going to send a valentine to you or not! We had a tradition with my best friends in school to send red heart shaped postcards to each other to show our friendship to each other. It was nice. But getting a heart postcard from a boy was the best surprise that day.”