Dia dos Namorados

Today is June 12, not February 14.  That means it is not Valentine’s Day, but it is “Dia dos Namorados,” or “Day of the Lovers” here in Brazil.  The two days have a lot in common.  They both celebrate romantic love. 

Until 1949, there was no day on the Brazilian calendar to celebrate romantic love, similar to Valentine’s Day in the USA and many places around the world.  However, Brazilians wanted a day of their own, different from the rest.  To the Brazilian business community, June was a notoriously weak month for shopping.  So it would only be natural for them to put such a day to celebrate romantic love in June. 

The patron saint of marriage in the Catholic religion (which is very big in Brazil) is Santo Antonio or Saint Anthony.  His special day is June 13.  So, as the story goes, in 1949 a Brazilian publicist named João Doria launched a campaign with the Commercial Federation of São Paulo to help improve June sales by creating Brazil’s special day to celebrate romantic love on the eve of St. Anthony’s Day, thus June 12.  Doria used the slogan, “Não é só de beijos que vive o amor” or “It is not only with kisses that our love lives.” The campaign was a big commercial success.  For the last sixty-eight years, Brazilians have been celebrating and enjoying their own romantic holiday.  Today, to celebrate Dia dos Namorados, I bought my wife, Cristina, something she loves, dark chocolate truffles from Cacau Show, a chain of stores in Brazil that specializes in chocolate candy.  I recommend it highly.    

Feliz Dia dos Namorados.  Happy Day of the Lovers.  And next February 14, you can also celebrate Valentine’s Day.  It’s great to have two days each year to celebrate love.

I will be on vacation for the next three Sundays.  My next new post will be on Sunday, July 10.