White Day

The " White day" is an event appeared with the Japan in 1980. This event is also celebrated in South Korea and with Taiwan.

It is celebrated the March 14th, one month after the St. Valentine's day. During this one the men offer to their boyfriends or their female colleagues a gift in thanks of the chocolates offered for the St. Valentine's day (Giri - choco 義理チョコ) by these last.

The gift offered is supposed being of a value 3 times more important than the received gift, this is why it is called " sanbai-gaeshi" (3 倍返し) or " triple retour". This is why some Japanese start to politely refuse the chocolates which theirs are offered.

It there with much of theories on the origin of White day. One of it tells that in 1965 a manufacturer of marsh mallows proposed to the men " rembourser" chocolates and the other gifts which they received the day of the St. Valentine's day by offering in their turn marsh mallows. In the beginning the name of this day was of aillor the " Marshmallow Day".

Shortly after industries one realized that they could earn money thanks to this tradition, while proposing to the men to buy white chocolate. In the beginning, the gift offered by the men was thus white, which explains the name of this day. Currently the tendencies changed, the current gifts are more often of the Lingerie or the jewels.

The teenagers, them, have a different habit: the habit at the banked-up beds is to offer a white ribbon to elected of their heart… even if this one did not give them chocolates. If this one, at the end of the White Day (or St White), tied it (where that it is: wrist, bag, hair) that wants to say that it has the same feelings in love as that which offered it to him.

See too

Japanese Festivals and bank holidays

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