Happy Valentine’s Day everybody! Whether or not you have a lover, today is a day of celebration, celebration of your love to whom you love. Of course, it is usually a day where you share with your lover, that is, your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, mistresses…

Valentine’s Day is a big thing in Asia, when you considered the Chinese have at least 2 Valentine’s Day, the Lantern Festival and Qixi Festival. Some considered the Mid-Autumn Festival another Valentine’s Day too. The Chinese certainly celebrate their love ones a lot.

Increasingly East Asians follow the Japanese tradition of celebrating the White Day, it’s on the 14th March, a month after the Valentine’s Day, where a man who received chocolates from an admirer is expected to give something in return, if he is also interested.

Valentine’s Day is a massive business in Asia – where young ones declare their love (particularly if you have an admirer), those who wanted to propose, and those older ones who want to celebrate with their, ahem, lover.

“Don’t get off track on Valentines Day — Let love return home (不要出轨情人节，让爱回家 – bú yào chū guǐ qíng rén jié ，ràng ài huí jiā).”

The number of Valentine’s Day is to give men and women an opportunity to express their love in a culture that is relatively reserved and shy. Asians are more 「多情」or “affectionate” than one thinks.

Only until 1971, Hong Kong has always kept the Ch’ing imperial system of marriage, polygyny or「一夫多妻制」. It was acceptable for a man to have more than one wife, if he could afford or was accepted by his first wife.

It is not uncommon to find older men in Hong Kong who have more than one legal wives now. Most notable person is Stanley Ho, an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. He has two legally married wives and couldn’t marry the third and forth one as Hong Kong become monogamy.

As Valentine’s Day is seen to be the day you celebrate with you love, why not celebrate this with, ahem, the lover? I am sure not Chinese are doing the same thing, here in New Zealand too.

As Chinese says, 「妻多夫賤」, “a husband with too many wives is despicable”. There are no needs to celebrate Valentine’s Day with too many lovers. Even as a woman, I have to agree that women can be a little annoying at times! Just celebrate with the one person you love, and the family around you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!