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Back on March 14th it was "White" Day. Do you know what it is and did you celebrate it? I did not myself but I do know a few things about it because the Anime Series Fruits Basket characters did an episode about Valentines Day and another about White day. It made me curious about both Cultural events. If you don't know what this is all about their is an explanation for what happens on both days below:
Japanese White Day
In Japan, Valentine's Day is typically observed by girls and women presenting chocolate gifts (either store-bought or handmade), usually to boys or men, as an expression of love, courtesy, or social obligation.
On White Day, the reverse happens: men who received a honmei-choco (chocolate of Love) or giri-choco (courtesy chocolate) on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts are cookies, jewelry, white chocolate, white lingerie, and marshmallows. Sometimes the term sanbai gaeshi (triple the return) is used to describe the generally recited rule for men that the return gift should be two to three times the worth of the Valentine's gift.
Origins of White Day
White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association as an "answer day" to Valentine's Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine's Day. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimuramanseido, marketed marshmallonw to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day (Mashumaro De).
Soon thereafter, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Now, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewelry or objects of sentimental value, or white clothing like lingerie, to women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine's Day one month earlier. Flowers and other gifts are also given on this day.
As a note in Japan, if chocolate given to a man a month prior was giri choco, the man may not be expressing actual romantic interest, but rather a social obligation. Eventually, this practice spread to the neighboring East Asian countries of South Korea, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. In those cultures, White Day is for the most part observed in a similar manner.
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