How Valentine's Day is celebrated in Laos

By:  Laoconnection.com, February 19, 2024

Like their international counterparts, Lao people will celebrate it on the 14th of February.  However, Valentine's Day is a relatively new celebratory day in Laos in that people have only really taken it on more within the last 5 years or so.

Internationally, Valentine's Day has its focus on couples showing their love and appreciation of one another with an emphasis on the man having to do the giving to the woman.

While in Laos, there are some key differences.  Here are some of them:

• The expression of love goes both ways, where the woman too gives a gift to their husband or boyfriend.
• A typical gift for this special day, could be a red rose or a heart shaped balloon.  Of course, there also other creative gifts but these are some of the common ones you'll see for sale around the cities in Laos, especially in Vientiane.
• They go even further than just the couple.  Some people will also give roses to family members and close friends.

You might be wondering why they would give to those outside of the couple celebrating their love.

The answer could be in the translation.  In Lao, this special day is called ວັນຮັກ vun huk - that translates to Day of Love.  So to Lao people this has been interpreted as extending an expression of care beyond just the couple and to others in one's life.

How do you express love to those in your life on this special day?  Comment below.

- Laoconnection.com