NationMaster - Encyclopedia: White Day

White Day is a festival that was created by a concentrated marketing effort in Japan. White Day is celebrated in Japan and Korea on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, women give gifts to men; on White Day, men who received chocolate on Valentine's Day return the favor and give gifts to women. This holiday is starting to gain popularity in Hong Kong, where Japanese influence is strong. Korea (Korean: í•œêµ or ì¡°ì„ , see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... St. ... Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration. ...

There are many theories about the origins of White Day, but according to one, the holiday began in 1965, when a marshmallow maker started marketing to men that they should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts with marshmallows. Originally it was called Marshmallow Day, and later it was changed to White Day. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Pink marshmallows. ...

Soon, the chocolate companies started realizing that they could capitalize as well on this day, and began marketing white chocolate. Now, Japanese men give both white and non-white chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewelry or objects of sentimental value, to the women who gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day a month prior. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Originally, the custom was that a man would give a white ribbon to the woman he had feelings for, and if a woman was given a ribbon by a man she had feelings for, and he tied it on for her, their love would last forever.

However, the giving of a ribbon can sometimes be a sign of friendship, and does not always signify love.

See also

The Public Holiday Law ) of 1948 (as amended) establishes the occasions on which Japan has a legal holiday. ... On April 14 in South Korea there is an informal tradition for single people to get together and eat noodles with black bean sauce to celebrate Black Day. ...

External links

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