Flowers? No, thanks. This is what is really given in love and friendship in Colombia.
News Colombia.
September in Colombia has a ritual that is not negotiated: the famous Love and friendship. And although the calendar says something else, in this country everything is accommodated so that the third week of the month is dedicated to gifts, rumba and, of course, to the Secret friendthat tradition that never dies. According to Fenalco, eight out of ten Colombians already have their plan to celebrateand two out of three will enter the guest game who will come out with a detail.
The curious thing is how it is played: 57 % do so at workwhich converts the offices into true centers of gossip and speculation; a 25 % familybecause nothing more Colombian than to give means to the uncle or perfumes to the father; and a 16 % with study partnerswhere there are always those who stay without receiving gift in time. Among close friends, only the 12 % is encouragedmaybe because there it is time to invest a little more in the detail.
THE GIFT TOP: What yes and what no longer
Fenalco’s survey did not leave space for surprises: Chocolates and sweets are the absolute kingswith a 20 % preference. Because nothing says “I love you” in Colombia as a box of chocolates bought at the last minute.
In the second place the Invitations to eat or leave rumbaranging from a romantic dinner with a glass of wine to the waiting with friends in the corner. And third place is taken by the clothing and footwearwith 15 %, because if we like Colombians, it is released “paints” for the photo.
Behind come gift bondscosmetics, jewelry and perfumery. And here appears the bitter surprise: The flowers fell to the seventh placewith just 9 %. Yes, in the country of export crops, the rose lost charm. The reason? According to experts, they are achieved in any corner or traffic light, and what abounds stops impressing.
Merchants with faith intact
Meanwhile, merchants rub their hands. Restaurants, shopping centers and online stores await a rebound in sales. Fenalco says that this year things paint better than in the previous ones: more willingness to spend, more creativity in gifts and more people in the story of not missing the date.
In summary: Love and friendship in Colombia is no longer from flowers or handwritten cardsbut of chocolates, clothing and rumba plans. A very Creole mixture that keeps the September ritual alive and, incidentally, gives the economy a break.
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