Valentine's Day in Brazil isn't in February.

Curious and fun facts about Brazil

#5

In Brazil the Valentine's Day isn't in February.

Love word decor by Romero Britto.

The Valentine's day isn't Valentine's Day per se. The Dia dos Namorados (meaning Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day) is celebrated on every June 12, which is the day before Saint Antonio's day.

"Dia dos Namorados" means Valentine's Day or Girl/Boyfriends' Day in Brazil.

Fernando Bulhões was his name before he became a Catholic Saint. The man who was born in Portugal in 1195 decided to be a priest when he was only 15 years old. In 1220, after years working as a priest in Italy, Fernando's five friars friends were killed in a religious mission in Africa.

After the incident, he had a major change in his life. Becoming a friar, and changed his name to Antonio. Years later he was known for his influential sermons to married couples. Acclaimed for his speeches about love and how keeping a good marriage, he passed away in 1231, in Sicily.

Saint Antonio and the baby. Upside down because a girl wants a boyfriend asap.

Many years later, in a land called Brazil, single women performing popular rituals for Saint Antonio. In order to find a boyfriend to marry, the ladies keep the statue upside down, or remove the baby from him. They only return the Saint's statue to the right position or give back the baby when they finally find a good boyfriend.

- Promise will you never leave me? - "Plomise"! I "plomise"!
Monica is a famous Brazilian cartoon those teens just love.

Another interesting fact is that the Brazilian "Valentine's Day" is almost exclusively celebrated for boyfriends and girlfriends. Isn't usual for married couples, neither friends, nor brothers and sisters or another people besides those young couples. But they do exchange gifts, chocolates, cards and flower bouquets as we all do in the US.

Are you wondering what Brazilians celebrate between News Year and Easter? We do have the Carnival, which usually falls too little before or too little after the American Valentine's Day.

Other fun and curious facts about Brazil here.

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Isabela: Brazilian, designer, works with automotive fabrics in the US. She did psychology college as well and had enjoyed a lot. She is living abroad for while, maybe because this she likes trends, cultures and behaviors.