How We Celebrate Love: From the Mediterranean to Right Here

Valentine's Day? Spain is Too Busy Celebrating Carnival

Today, February 14th, el día de San Valentín, most of Spain, honestly, will be in the throes of Carnival. This festival, with its copious amounts of glitter and queens, dancing and parades, food and alcohol (and obligatory insomnia), is celebrated all over Spain, and always take place in the time leading up to Lent. While many Spaniards will be wrapped up in Carnival, especially those near Sitges, Cádiz, and Santa Cruz where the biggest festivities are, Valentine's Day won't go completely unnoticed. You may find extra hearts on display in shop windows, and special discounts at Spain's largest department store, El Corte Inglés.

In Cataluña, the Love is Shared on El Día de Sant Jordi

El dia de Sant Jordi (St. Geroge's Day), celebrated each April 23rd since 1926, is the day in Barcelona and towns around the Cataluña province, where loved ones exchange books and roses. When it first began, boys traditionally gave roses to girls, and girls gave books to boys. But modern day Sant Jordi celebrators recognizes that girls like to read too—it's become a day to exchange books and roses in any way and with anyone you care about. It is a beautiful time to be in Barcelona; imagine the streets overflowing with books and roses and you start to get the picture.

Sant Dionís, The Patron Saint of Love in Valencia

On October 9th, Valencians celebrate both el día de la Comunidad Valenciana, and el dia de Sant Dionís. Pastelerías, or bakeries, in Valencia, work overtime to fill their display cases with marzipan candies in the form of fruits and vegetables, representing the fertility of the orchards and farmland throughout the Valencian province. These little candies, called mocaoras, are traditionally given to women by their lovers, and they come wrapped in a scarf called a mocador in Valenciano, hence the name of the candy.

How Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® will be Celebrating

With love in the air, we, of course, will be celebrating our love of languages. We'll be joining Think Bilingual and BoCCa in honor of International Mother Language Day at the I Love Idiomas So Much festival. Please join us this Sunday February 16th from 1pm to 4pm at AISD's Performing Arts Center. Come for the love of languages, and stay for the multicultural student performances. And stop by the Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® table for a surprise! Sign up here!