Have you ever thought that one day is not enough to celebrate your Valentine’s?
Well, let us introduce you to the second most romantic day in South Korea: the White Day.
For many of us, Valentine’s Day consists of exchanging gifts between couples and friends, but in Asia, the custom is that women are the ones who give chocolates or a little present to show or confess their love to their partner or to the person they like.
On White Day, which is on March 14th, men who got some presents on Valentine’s Day have the chance to give back something in return or to confess their feelings to their loved ones.
Around 1970 and 1980 in Japan, a day when one could answer to the gifts received on February 14th was created. This day was called Marshmallow Day because the point was to give white marshmallows, nonetheless, a few years later the name was changed to White Day to represent the purity and innocence of love as well as to avoid limiting the kind of gifts that could be given.
Also, even though the presents tend to be mostly white-colored, nowadays, there’s no specific rule about it, and you can give anything (chocolate, candy, flowers, jewelry, etc.). As long as you have a good time and celebrate with that special person.
This (relatively new) tradition has been growing to the point where many stores offer diverse discounts and decorate in white to go according to the occasion. Though already many countries in Asia, such as South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam have joined the celebration, there are some people from other nations that recently have taken interest in adopting it.
Written by: Giselle Hernandez
Reviewed by: Angie Salavarria
