White Day is a romantic holiday celebrated annually on March 14th – exactly a month after Valentine’s Day – across East Asian countries.
In many parts of Asia, the traditional Valentine’s Day often sees women giving gifts – typically chocolates – to men. So, White Day is considered a day of reciprocity, where women receive gifts in return from men.
Celebrated in countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, here’s everything you need to know about White Day.
What is the origin of White Day?
White Day originated in Japan when the confectionery industry brought Western Valentine’s traditions to Japanese stores. While the idea caught on, the primary customers were women. Then in the 1970s, a confectionary store in Fukuoka came up with a “reverse Valentine’s Day” campaign.
Originally called “Marshmallow Day” because marshmallows were the first gift promoted for men to women in return for Valentine’s chocolates, the day of the holiday was later changed to White Day to include a wider range of gifts.
Traditionally, men were expected to give women white-coloured gifts such as white chocolate or white flowers, with the symbolic purity and sweetness of the colour adding to romantic nuance.
How is White Day celebrated?
While it originated in Japan, White Day quickly became very popular throughout East Asia, and it’s celebrated in slightly different ways in different countries.
For example, in Japan where it originated, the term sanbai gaeshi – translating to “triple the return,” – a common rule of thumb for men when it comes to White Day gifts.
This term refers to the monetary value of the gift men should give in return, with items expected to cost at least three times more than what they received from their partners. Gifts typically range from expensive chocolates to jewellery and elaborate dates.
White Day in China echoes a similar sentiment where the gifts from the men are expected to be greater in value than what they received on Valentine’s Day.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, the gifts can be slightly simpler and include things like candy or snacks like Pepero, white chocolates, white flowers or anything in white – but in more recent times, the gifts have also expanded beyond the white colour as well.
What kind of gifts are given on White Day?
When the holiday was initially created it was dubbed “Marshmallow Day,” because marshmallows were the gifts that men were expected to women in return.
Later, this evolved to encompass a wide variety of white-coloured gifts including chocolate and flowers.
Today, while the “white theme” still remains popular, White Day gift-giving has become even more varied with men gifting anything from teddy bears and jewellery to heart-shaped chocolates and colourful flowers.
Happy White Day to all!
What would you gift your loved one on White Day? Visit Lyrical Muse for more culture stories from around the world.
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