14th of February is known as the original and widely commercialized Valentine’s Day. Besides 14th of February, the 14th of every month is also known as Valentine’s Day but it goes by different names and meaning behind every celebrations. For the month of March, it is known as White Day specially in Asian countries like South Korea and Japan. Similar to Valentine’s Day, White Day holds a special meaning for many people from different parts of the world.
In Japan, women will give chocolates to men on the 14th of February and men will return gifts to the women from whom they received the chocolates or any gifts and tell her about his feelings and thoughts on the 14th of March which is month after Valentine’s Day. They will also exchange gifts with best friend or co-workers.
Japan has celebrated White Day since 1978 and it was created by the confectionery industry. At first, it was named as Marshmallow Day by a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, but it did not succeed as a cultural phenomenon. Then, the National Confectionery Industry Association establish 14th March as White Day as an “reply” day or “answer” day to Valentine’s Day exhorting men to return the favor to the women who gave them gifts on Valentine’s Day. White was chosen for this occasion as it symbolizes purity, and its also the colour of sugar.
So, if you’re one of the few lucky dudes who received chocolates one month ago, today is the day for you to show her how you feel. This is also the perfect day to show some love to your co-workers by gifting them with something sweet.
