Valentine’s Day, a holiday in which we celebrate our affection for each other, is a great way for cultures around the world, no matter similarities or differences, to celebrate the roles loved ones play in our lives.

Gabriella Fernandes, junior nutrition major from Brazil, gave insight to what it is like to celebrate Valentine’s Day in her home country.

In Brazil, Valentine’s Day is known as Dia dos Namprados, or Couple’s Day, according to iloveindia.com. It’s a major cultural event that almost all people participate in.

Couple’s Day is celebrated on June 12. However, according to Fernandes, shops all over Brazil still sell Valentine’s Day products on Feb. 14 because that is the most common date for the holiday.

However, Brazilian traditions aren’t completely different from American’s.

According to Fernandes, a dinner and movie date is just as common in Brazil as it is here.

Though there is a difference in the scale of the holiday’s celebration.

Fernandes said often times Brazilians only buy “something simple” and that it really just “depends on the couple.”

According to Fernandes, there are differences between how Americans and Brazilians show affection for their loved ones.

“Here, I cannot really tell if they are a couple or not,” Fernandes said. “In Brazil, we definitely can.”

In Brazilian culture, love is not something to be ashamed of and is instead celebrated every day. People in Brazil are in no way afraid of public displays of affection. It’s typical to see people kiss and hold hands in public, Fernandes said.

Another major difference between the culture of Valentine’s Day in America and Brazil is that, in America, it is common to celebrate everyone from friends and family to the people we happen to be dating, Fernandes said.

In Brazil, however, this holiday is specifically for couples. Friends and family are not included in the celebration of their version of Valentine’s Day, Fernandes said.

Minji Chhaysy-Park, senior computer science major from South Korea, said that in Korean culture there are three different celebrations that all pertain to Valentine’s Day.

The first of these three celebrations is Valentine’s Day itself, which is celebrated on Feb. 14 just like in America. However, this day is only for the women to celebrate their male lovers, Park said.

According to Park, in order to show their affection, women often give their lovers chocolates.

The second part of this holiday is called White Day and is celebrated on March 14, one month after Valentine’s Day. This is a time for the men to show women how much they mean to them.

In contrast to Valentine’s Day, men are not expected to give chocolates but rather candies, Park said.

Lastly, there is Black Day, celebrated on April 14, two months after Valentine’s Day.

According to Park, Black Day is a day to celebrate all the single men and women in Korea over a meal of black noodles. It’s also an opportunity to confess love to unsuspecting people.