Brazilian Valentine's Day

Brazilians celebrate Valentine's Day in June on Saint Anthony of Padua's Day because he is considered the patron of those who are seeking a romantic relationship.  They call it Dia dos Namorados, which means Day of Lovers.  In our experience, Dia dos Namorados has about as much to do with St. Anthony as Valentine's Day has to do with Saint Valentine.  Instead, it's a time for husbands and wives and boyfriends and girlfriends to exchange gifts and celebrate their love for each other.

The church hosted a dinner for couples to celebrate this unofficial holiday.  We had seventeen visitors.  That number is odd because one of the visitors was the husband of a church member.  John and I sat at their table.  It was nice to get to know Alex because we spend so much time with his wife and daughter.  He seemed reserved at first but warmed up to us as the evening went on.  

We played a game where each couple was tied together and had to figure out how to separate without untying the strings that held them together.

Dinner was delicious and it seemed like everyone had a great time.  We hope to make it an annual event.