White Day 白色情人節
White Day is an anniversary created in Japan in 1980. This culture not only spread in Japan but also was exported to South Korea and Taiwan. It is celebrated 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. The observance of Valentine's Day in Japan, particularly among students, is somewhat different than in the West. Valentine's day is mainly for the girls to present chocolates (either store-bought or handmade) to the boy of their choice. The concept of "Giri-Choco" (Japanese: 義理チョコ), which translates as "Obligatory Chocolate", has also developed, where a girl will give chocolate to those close to her (co-workers, for example) but in whom she has no romantic interest. When White Day rolls around, it is the boy's turn to return the gift in what is called "sanbai-gaeshi" (3倍返し) or "triple return", since the gift the boy gives is supposed to be three times the value of the gift received initially.
There are many theories about the origins of White Day. 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, which was later changed to White Day.
Soon thereafter, confectionary companies began to realize that they could capitalize on such a tradition as well, 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 women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine's Day one month earlier.
情人節的起源
The roots of St. Valentine's Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For 800 years the Romans had dedicated this day to the god Lupercus. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year.
Pope Gelasius I was, understandably, less than thrilled with this custom. So he changed the lottery to have both young men and women draw the names of saints whom they would then emulate for the year (a change that no doubt disappointed a few young men). Instead of Lupercus, the patron of the feast became Valentine. For Roman men, the day continued to be an occasion to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of admiration that included Valentine's name.
There was also a conventional belief in Europe during the Middle Ages that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus the day was dedicated to love, and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small gifts to their beloved. Legend has it that Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. (He, however, was not beheaded, and died a half-century later of old age.)