From ForbesLife India: The many ways of expressing love

Romance cannot be restrricted to a day or a culture. Let us count the ways

Published: Feb 14, 2017

CHINA, HUNAN: A couple is suspended from a glass-bottomed bridge 180 metres above a valley in Pingji

Image by : China Daily via Reuters

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CHINA, HUNAN: A couple is suspended from a glass-bottomed bridge 180 metres above a valley in Pingjiang, Hunan province, during China’s Qixi Festival, also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day

FINLAND, Sonkajärvi: A couple participates in the Wife-Carrying World Championship (above) in S

Image by : Lehtikuva Lehtikuva / Reuters

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FINLAND, Sonkajärvi: A couple participates in the Wife-Carrying World Championship (above) in Sonkajärvi. Valentine’s Day did not become popular in Finland until the 1980s, which may be one reason the Nordic country celebrates it differently. Held every year, this sporting event attracts competitors from the world over. The reward: The partner’s weight in beer as well as a thumping applause

INDONESIA, BALI: A couple (top) kisses during a ritual known as Omed-Omedan in Denpasar, Bali. Durin

Image by : Barcroft Media / Getty Images

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INDONESIA, BALI: A couple (top) kisses during a ritual known as Omed-Omedan in Denpasar, Bali. During the festival, unmarried Balinese youth gather first to pray, then flock to the centre of town and try to pull each other to kiss while spectators douse them with water. The festival is intended to fend off bad luck in the year ahead

INDIA, MATHURA: Women playfully tear off a man’s clothes even as they are drenched with liquid

Image by : Adnan Abidi / Reuters

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INDIA, MATHURA: Women playfully tear off a man’s clothes even as they are drenched with liquid colours while celebrating Huranga at Dauji temple near Mathura. Huranga is a game played between men and women a day after Holi

ISRAEL, GAZA: Saying it with flowers can take on a new meaning as this Palestinian farmer would atte

Image by : Abid Katib / Getty Images

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ISRAEL, GAZA: Saying it with flowers can take on a new meaning as this Palestinian farmer would attest. Two truckloads of flowers were dumped by Palestinian farmers near the border with Israel to protest against Israeli export restrictions preventing them from exporting their blooms to Europe for Valentine’s

ITALY, VERONA: Lovebirds flock to Verona just to stand under the balcony that Juliet stood upon and

Image by : Luca Ghidoni / Getty Images

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ITALY, VERONA: Lovebirds flock to Verona just to stand under the balcony that Juliet stood upon and gazed at her love, Romeo. The city opens its gates every February (and decorates them with red-heart balloons) for Verona In Love, a four-day festival that includes a prize for the most passionate love letter

JAPAN, TOKYO: In Japan, weird is the norm. Couples are drawn to aquariums (above) that publicise fee

Image by : Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP / Getty Images

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JAPAN, TOKYO: In Japan, weird is the norm. Couples are drawn to aquariums (above) that publicise feeding of red heart-shaped squid meat to stingrays (pictures don’t lie!). Or retire to a jungle-style room in a love hotel for a few hours of reasonably-priced privacy from the crowded urban jungle outside

BRAZIL, SALVADOR: Brazilian couples make merry on the first day of Carnival celebrations in Salvado

Image by : Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP/ Getty Images

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BRAZIL, SALVADOR: Brazilian couples make merry on the first day of Carnival celebrations in Salvador. Carnival is the grandest holiday in Brazil, annually drawing millions in raucous celebrations culminating before the start of Lent. The six-day party through the city streets, dancing and singing, is reason enough for most couples to forget Valentine’s Day

THAILAND, BANGKOK: A groom and his bride lie in a coffin during a wedding ceremony at Wat Takien tem

Image by : Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters

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THAILAND, BANGKOK: A groom and his bride lie in a coffin during a wedding ceremony at Wat Takien temple in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok. Seven Thai couples lay in the pink coffin during a wedding ceremony organised by the Buddhist temple on Valentine’s Day. Couples believe laying briefly in the coffin will help them get rid of bad luck and usher happiness into their lives