A Bryson in China: Chinese Valentine's Day

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Chinese Valentine's Day

Even in China, the florists and shop owners get their way with holidays. All over this weekend, all you keep hearing is that it’s Valentine’s Day! In August? That’s what they say! Chinese Valentine’s Day.

Seems they really just get an extra day for this and that. Every so often, almost out of nowhere, suddenly you hear of a duplicate holiday, with the extra due to the different Chinese calendar.

Today on TV and with the new phone spam, advertisement after advertisement hailing the lovers day is being broadcast to sell a few more of every imaginable item. It doesn’t matter: homes, flowers, cds, lingerie, cars. They all are advertising the day to sell a little more of all kinds of items.

For me, August just doesn’t seem right for Valentine’s Day. It’s sorta like celebrating the traditional winter holiday in Australia. For today, you see, it is extremely hot again. Sepat, the typhoon, made landfall north of us and skirted our region last night. In fact, it brought us a pleasant day, but with increasing heat. It will easily crest 100°F with incredibly high humidity. At least the morning was nice for an early round of golf.

But a hot day in August just doesn’t seem like Valentine’s Day. But they say today is: Chinese Valentine’s Day.

Labels: Holidays, Life in China, Valentine's Day