White Day

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White Day (ホワイトデー, Howaito dē^?, a Japanese pseudo-anglicism^[1]; Korean: 화이트데이 Hwaiteu dei; Chinese: 白色情人節) is a holiday celebrated on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan celebrate this day.

1 White Day in Japan
2 Origin
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] White Day in Japan

In Japan, Valentine's Day is observed by members of the female gender who present chocolate gifts (either store-bought or handmade), usually to a member of the male gender, as an expression of love. The handmade chocolate is usually preferred by the receiver, because it is a sign that the receiving male is the girl's "only one". On White Day, the converse happens: males who received a "honmei-choco" [chocolate of love] or "Giri-choco" [chocolate of courtesy] on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts, usually more expensive. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts are cookies, sugar candies, white chocolate, marshmallows as well as jewelries, lingerie, and stuffed animals. Sometimes the term sanbai gaeshi (literally, "thrice the return") is used to describe the generally recited rule that the return gift should be two to three times the cost of the Valentine's gift.^[2]

[edit] Origin

White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association (全国飴菓子工業協同組合) as an "answer day" to Valentine's Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine's Day. In 1977 a Fukuoka-shi confectionery company, Ishimura Manseido (石村萬盛堂), had marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day (マシュマロデー).^[3]

Soon thereafter, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Now, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewelry or objects of sentimental value, or white clothing like lingerie, to women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine's Day one month earlier. If the chocolate given to her was giri choco, the man as well may not be expressing actual romantic interest, but rather a social obligation.