Valentine's Day in Germany

Valentine's Day is a universal celebration that is observed by people around the world, defying all boundaries of region and religion. This fact can also be applied to the country of Germany, located in the central zone of Europe. Contrary to the usual opinions, the festival is celebrated in a grand manner all over the country. People start preparing for the occasion days in advance and this indicates that they are actually quite romantic at heart. Though the festival is not highly commercialized in the country as seen in other parts of the world, the Germans have their own unique pattern of celebrating the event. Read on to explore German Valentine's Day celebrations in detail.

Valentine's Day Celebrations in Germany
Like any other region, Germany has its own distinct way of celebrating Valentine's Day. Though the celebration is quite recent in the country, the observations are made in a grand manner and are comparable to any other place in the world. Gifting cards and little heart-shaped gifts or chocolates has almost become like a ritual and young people are often seen enjoying the day with either their friends or their sweethearts. However, initially, the event was aimed only towards the adults and was strictly regarded as a ‘mature' issue. Hence, the youth and the kids were not allowed to actively participate in the scene at the start.

Today, Valentine's Day celebration is a complete different scenario in Germany, with youth being a major part of the celebration. An interesting twist to the event that is unique only to Germany is the addition of a pig. They can be found in any form or color and are a symbol of not only luck, but also lust. Another very important Valentine tradition among the Germans is the preparation of big ginger cookies, in the form of hearts, decorated with frosting. Many a times, these cookies also have a few words written over them like meine Shatzi, Ich liebe dich, etc. Presenting bouquets of flowers is yet another popular German tradition during Valentine's Day.