Día de Amor y Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship) is celebrated the third Saturday of September every year in Colombia. This is essentially the Valentine’s Day of Colombia. This is a traditional celebration in Colombia in which lovers, husbands and wives, couples and friends express their love and affection. In Colombia, normally for weeks before this day in September you will start to see hearts adorn restaurants, shops and bars.
In 2024, Día de Amor y Amistad in Colombia is on Saturday, September 21.
As we celebrate love, gratitude, and happiness, join us in this special Colombian celebration! Medellin Guru and expatgroup.co have teamed up to offer you exclusive discounts of up to 40% on services such as visas, real estate, and business in Colombia, so don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity. Click the button below to grab these amazing deals and join the festivities, embracing our culture and celebrating with us.
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History of Valentine’s Day (a.k.a. Saint Valentine’s Day)
February 14th marks Valentine’s Day, a joyous celebration of love and friendship around the globe. It’s a day filled with flowers, chocolates, romantic dinners, and sweet secret messages shared between loved ones. While some see it as a commercial holiday, others believe it is rooted in ancient traditions and fascinating historical and religious legends.
Historical trace of the Celebration of Valentine's Day
The origin of Valentine's Day can be traced back to ancient Rome and a story about a bishop from the Catholic Church who was martyred on February 14.
Most scholars believe that Saint Valentine, the patron saint of the holiday, was a priest who, in 270, attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II. Supposedly, Claudius prohibited marriage for young men. He claimed that bachelor made for better soldiers. But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies in secret. He was eventually apprehended by the Romans and put to death.
Another legend has it that Valentine, who was imprisoned by Claudius, fell in love with a daughter of his jailer. Before he was executed, he supposedly sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine."
Chaucer and Shakespeare both romanticized Valentine's Day in their work. And it gained popularity throughout Britain.
Valentine’s Day eventually it made its way to the U.S. and Hallmark Cards started mass producing Valentine cards in 1913, which was the start of massive commercialization of Valentine's Day in the U.S. since that moment on every February 14th.
Valentine's Day spread all over the world, capitalizing a special day dedicated to love mainly, where streets are fulled of couples and a romantic environment surrounding everything.
Valentine's Day is very big business in the U.S. The National Retail Federation estimated that U.S. consumers would spend a total of $20.7 billion USD on Valentine's Day in 2019.
Día de Amor y Amistad is also a big business in Colombia. In 2016, sales on this day reportedly hit 38 billion pesos ($13.1 million) in Colombia just for credit and debit card sales, up 15 percent from the prior year.
History of Amor y Amistad
In several countries in Latin America, including Colombia, Valentine’s Day is known as Día de Amor y Amistad. In many countries, even in Latin America, “Valentine’s Day” remains on February 14, the most popular date to celebrate it the world.
Most notably, Colombia changed the date in 1969. Reportedly merchants in Colombia wanted to change the date so that this day would be in September on the third Saturday of the month. This was so merchants could sell more roses and chocolates in September, which is a month that has no holidays in Colombia.
A few other countries besides Colombia in Latin America use different dates. For example, in Bolivia, this day is on July 23. And in Brazil, Día de los Novios is on June 12. In Brazil, February 14 is not used, as this is too close to the carnival.
Colombian Customs to Celebrate Amor y Amistad Day
In Colombia, the Amor y Amistad celebration in September is an exciting time with exciting traditions. While the official day falls on the third Saturday of the month, the entire September is filled with anticipation and excitement, setting the stage for a festive atmosphere that encourages gatherings, sharing, generosity, gratitude, and heartfelt expressions of affection. It’s a time for creating beautiful memories and cherishing the bonds of love and friendship.
"Amigo Secreto" or Secret Friend
The first tradition is called “Secret Friend.” It starts with everyone’s names written on pieces of paper and placed in a bag. Then, each person randomly selects a name and exchanges gifts on the day of the celebration. The best part? On that day, everyone gets to reveal who their “secret friend” is in a fun and exciting way!
The best part of the Secret Friend game is guessing who is behind the anonymously delivered gifts. The fun and suspense of not knowing who your gift is from adds an exciting twist to the holiday season!
"La Endulzada" or The Sweetened
The tradition of the ‘secret friend’ gave rise to another delightful tradition called “la endulzada” or “sweetened.” In the ‘sweetened’ tradition, participants express their love and affection for their ‘secret friend’ by secretly gifting them candies, chocolates, cookies, fruits, or other agreed-upon treats. The exciting part of this tradition is that the ‘sweetened’ gifts should be given daily until the identity of the secret friend is finally revealed. This is a beautiful way to create a countdown using small edible items as a lead-up to revealing a secret friend and giving a final gift.
These traditions extend the celebration of love and friendship throughout the month, providing an opportunity to bring together families, work teams, colleagues, friends, and partners to emphasize the importance of love and friendship in our society.
Romantic Dinners
Many restaurants require reservations in advance for a romantic dinner on Día de Amor y Amistad. The best restaurants are typically fully booked for this day well in advance, so you should make reservations early.
Four of my favorite restaurants in Medellín for this romantic day are Carmen, Oci.Mde and El Cielo. For restaurants that don’t take reservations, make sure to get there early on this popular day for eating out. Some restaurants can also do more. For example, Tony Roma’s, the revolving restaurant at the top of Hotel Dann Carlton in El Poblado, Medellín, can set up a table with roses, as seen in the photo above, for an additional fee.
If you want to know how it feels to have a secret friend or receive some “sweetened”, you only have to celebrate this special month with us. At Medellin Guru, we have partnered with expatgroup.co to celebrate Amor y Amistad Day with you. You can benefit from up to 40% discount on Colombian visas, Real Estate, and business services by clicking the button below.
up to 40% discount to celebrate Amor y Amistad
Celebrate Amor y Amistad Month with a special price to access services such as visas, Real Estate, and business in Colombia.
Typical Romantic Gifts in Colombia
Gifts for this day in Colombia normally vary according budget and whether the recipient is a friend or girlfriend/boyfriend or spouse. Typical romantic gifts in Colombia re similar to gifts in the U.S. for Valentine’s Day. This includes chocolates and other candy, roses and other flowers, cards, a romantic dinner and even dancing afterwards, an invitation to the movies, cuddly toys, jewelry, clothing, perfume and so on. It is possible to find inexpensive roses in Medellín. I’ve seen a dozen and even two dozen roses being sold in Medellín for 6,000 to 10,000 colombian pesos (2 to 4 USD).
Where to find gifts?
Medellín has many malls. The largest malls in Medellín include Viva Envigado, Santafé, El Tesoro, Mayorca Mega Plaza, Premium Plaza, Oviedo, Los Molinos, Unicentro, San Diego, Florida Parque and Puerta Del Norte. Also, we have a guide to the best malls in Medellín. Also, the big grocery chains like Exito and Jumbo will be selling gifts like flowers, candy and baskets for day.
In addition, you can find gifts at the many small tiendas in El Centro with usually better prices. For example, El Hueco in El Centro is an area full of 1,000s of shops of all types with good prices.
Do's and Don'ts for Amor y Amistad Celebrations
When celebrating “Amor y Amistad” in Colombia with your partner, friends, co-workers, or close circle, there are certain things to consider in order to ensure that the celebrations of Amor y Amistad go smoothly and peacefully.
To do's
To don'ts
Medellin Guru's comprehensive Colombian culture series
In Medellin Guru, we love Colombia, and we usually write many blogs about Colombian culture, places to visit, and other tips for all expats to have a reliable guide and valuable and relevant information about Colombia. Read our blogs about Colombian Culture here:
- Top Tourist Attractions in Colombia: Top Things to Do
- Top Things to Do in Medellín and Nearby: Top Tourist Attractions
- How to be an Expat in Colombia: 12 Tips to be a Successful Expat
- Top Things to Do in Cali and Nearby: Top Tourist Attractions
- Celebrating July 20th: Colombia Independence Day
- Norte de Santander: 5 Escapes for a Weekend Adventure
- Unlock Ipiales in 24 Hours: Your Essential Adventure Blueprint!
- Pasto: Discover the wonders of the Surprise City
- Top Popular Colombian Drinks to Try When You Visit Colombia
- Villa de Leyva: A Colonial Gem in the Colombian Andes
- Traditional Colombian Food Dishes You Must Try in Colombia
- Medellin Guru Launch 2023: Gentrification, Tourism and Investment
- Popular Colombian Desserts You Must Try While in Colombia
- Exotic Tropical Fruits of Colombia a Fruit Lovers Paradise
- Popular Colombian Soups to Try When You Visit Colombia
- Día de las Velitas: Day of Candles Tradition in Colombia on December 7
- Things in Colombia That May Be Strange for Foreigners
- Things Colombians Do That Foreigners May Find Weird
- Popayán: A Well-Preserved Colonial Gem in Colombia Worth Visiting
- Tejo: A Colombian Game That Rewards You for Explosions
Other things to see and do in Colombia
- Caño Cristales – the most beautiful river in Colombia, which has also been called the most beautiful river in the world by some people.
- Carnival in Barranquilla – the second largest carnival in the world.
- Cartagena – Oozing history, romance and sun-drenched beaches, the allure of historical Cartagena is hard to resist.
- Ciudad Perdida – the site of an ancient city in Colombia that is older than Machu Picchu in Peru.
- Colombia’s Pacific coast – often overlooked by tourists visiting Colombia but offering untamed nature and undiscovered beauty that is off the beaten path for most foreign tourists.
- Desierto de la Tatacoa – the second largest arid zone in Colombia is Tatacoa Desert, which has surreal desert landscapes and some of the best stargazing in Colombia.
- Guatapé – a picturesque pueblo near Medellín known for its huge rock and lake. And it’s likely the most visited pueblo in Colombia by foreigners.
- La Guajira Peninsula – one of the most visually stunning places in South America, which is located on the northern tip of Colombia where the desert meets the sea.
- Las Lajas Sanctuary – the most beautiful church in Colombia, which has also been called the most beautiful church in the world.
- Medellín’s Christmas lights – Medellín’s annual world-class Christmas lights known as Alumbrados Navideños.
- Feria de Las Flores Medellin – Medellín’s world-famous flower festival each year.
- Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados – a popular national park in Colombia located in the heart of the Colombian coffee region.
- Parque Tayrona – known for its beautiful beaches and the world’s highest coastal mountain range.
- Popayán – a colonial gem in Colombia best known for its white buildings and churches, it’s a city off the beaten path for foreign tourists but is definitely worth visiting.
- Rio Claro Nature Reserve – located about three hours from Medellín, Rio Claro is the perfect place to unplug from hectic daily life and enjoy a picturesque crystal-clear river, canyon and tropical rainforest.
- Salento and the Cocora Valley – Salento is a picturesque pueblo in Colombia’s coffee region and the nearby Cocora Valley is one of the most striking landscapes found in Colombia.
- San Agustín Archaeological Park – the largest group of pre-Columbian monuments and megalithic statues in South America and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- San Andrés – Colombia’s Caribbean island which is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve featuring many beaches, islets and coral reefs that are filled with flora and fauna.
- San Gil – Colombia’s adventure capital that is full of things to do including white water rafting, paragliding, caving, rappelling, hiking and much more.
- San Jose del Guaviare – a hidden gem and eco-tourism location off the beaten path and offering wildlife watching, jungle trekking and delving into Colombia’s prehistoric past.
The Bottom Line: Día de Amor y Amistad
The bottom line is that Valentine’s Day is known as Día de Amor y Amistad in Colombia, which is celebrated in September. A special time to celebrate love and friendship with unique and meaningful ways to express appreciation for the people we care about.
I’m from the United States, so I am accustomed to celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14.
But my Colombian wife is accustomed to celebrating the Colombian version each year on the third Saturday of September. Colombians celebrate this day in September much more than the February 14 Valentine’s Day used in the U.S.
So, as a couple we now celebrate both days in Colombia – Valentine’s Day on February 14 and Día de Amor y Amistad, which is celebrated on Saturday, September 21 in 2024.
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