White Day

Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular events once in a year. It is the day for celebration of love. Candy, flowers, chocolate are common things to give in Valentine’s Day, even heart-shaped notes. But in Japan, shops and consumers have been gearing up for more commercialized romance, round two: a follow-up holiday called White Day.

It’s only been around for about 40 years, but it’s turned into a big-spending event and has even filtered into other East Asian countries like China and South Korea. Celebrated every 14 March – one month after Valentine’s Day, it works as a mirror image to the holiday it precedes.

In Japan, Valentine’s Day means woman give “giri choco” – “giri” means “obligation”, “choco” means “chocolate” to the man in their lives. A month later, on White Day, all the man who received presents must return the favor. On White Day, man give their crush a gift, something white such as, marshmallows, white cake or sweets, handkerchiefs or stationery, and sometimes more expensive fare like pearl-studded jewelry.