- Title: VARIOUS: Valentine's Day is celebrated in different ways around the world
- Date: 15th February 2006
- Summary: RED ROSE WITH GOLD WRITING ON IT BUNCHES OF BLUE ROSES WHITE ROSE WITH GOLD SPANGLES
- Embargoed: 2nd March 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA9ELVHRM3U4ZLRLP08BLLC6L53
- Story Text: French lovers in the city renowned worldwide for its romance were naturally out in force on Tuesday (February 14) buying flowers and sweets to celebrate St Valentine's Day.
Parisian florists arranged bouquets of roses and orchids for mainly male clients, who said they never forget to buy flowers for their partners.
Philippe Delpeaux had bought red and white roses for his wife - red for love, and white to symbolise children.
"It's important to her and, most of all, she's not pleased if I don't do it (buy flowers)," Delpeux said.
Chocolate shops and bakeries were also busy, selling special heart-shaped pastries and biscuits.
"To celebrate with your lover you need a dinner with a cake," Adela, a customer, said.
In the Philippines, dozens of lovestruck couples celebrated Valentine's Day with a mass wedding on the outskirts of the capital Manila.
At least 180 couples, ranging from the young and pregnant to the old and experienced, exchanged vows outside Muntinlupa City Hall in front of hundreds of family and friends.
The multiple weddings were celebrated in a Roman Catholic ceremony in keeping with the firm religious traditions of the former Spanish colony.
For 65-year-old ex-convict Alfonso Tungol, it was a long and painful journey before he made it down the aisle.
The convicted murderer said he met his soulmate while he was serving a 15 year sentence in a maximum security prison.
His new bride, 61-year-old Florinda Bermudez, sold vegetables outside his prison and Tungol said it was love at first sight when they met in 1989.
While Tugol declined to elaborate on his crime, he said he had become a new man after he met Florinda, and they had been inseparable since his release in 2004.
"All the things she has done for me, I'll never forget until I die. All the people in our place, including Muntinlupa maximum (prison), they know who we are, what I've done and what she has done," he said with tears in his eyes.
Tugol said he was looking forward to living a long, happy and honest life with his new wife.
In China, the western celebration is overtaking traditional Chinese festivals in people's hearts.
In recent years, hoteliers and restaurants have been attempting to outdo each other by coming up with the most extravagant and indulgent ways to make February 14 a memorable affair.
Flower markets in Beijing were filled with people buying roses, and prices had risen enormously. New inventions like bright green roses and sea blue roses were the most popular.
One blue rose wrapped up in silk and gilded with silver was selling for 30 U.S. dollars.
But for those who had not found their sweethearts yet, matchmaking companies like 51Friend.net are increasingly on hand to provide a solution.
About 50 single people turned up to a 51.Friend.net function at a Russian restaurant on Monday night (February 13) in the hope of finding a Valentine's Day date.
These singles had a lot in common - an office job with decent pay, long busy working hours, a good education, all born in the 1970's and still struggling to find a spouse.
Matching up singles has long been the domain of concerned parents in China.
But 30-something singles have started to reject the help of parents anxious to find their child a suitable spouse, turning to more western methods.
Over the past eight years, 51friend has expanded to 24 cities in China and it serves over 300,000 China's young elites.
In New York City, many couples choose to get married on Valentines day on top of one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Empire State Building.
Since the tradition began in 1994, there have been over 185 couples married. Today, 13 couples were married.
Some couples have come from as far as Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Germany and Great Britain.
Kevin McCabe and Deb Johnson travelled from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in order to be married today.
According to Johnson the building holds special meaning to her and her new husband.
"The Empire State Building is just because I like "Sleepless in Seattle" and this is where he asked me to marry him. On the south side overlooking where the towers would have been. My husband is a fireman, ad so in memory and in honour of all the fallen brothers we were up here and this is where he asked me," said Johnson.
The weddings themselves are performed by a interfaith minister who has been taking part in the yearly event for the past ten years.
Paula Posman said: "it's wonderful to be involved in marrying so many couples on the day to celebrate romance, it's perfect."
After exchanging vows the couples are invited to share a champagne toast and to also go outside on the observation deck to take pictures with the full backdrop of New York City and to exchange a kiss. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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