What and When is White Day?

Happy white day to all my lovelies! Precisely one month after Valentines Day and a hot topic in anime and manga. So what exactly is white day? I had always been curious but finally I decided to look into it and this is what I have found.

Firstly no, this is not a racist day…yes I see you eyeballing the name. Get over it. There are more important issues. Okay now that my rant is done, let us delve right in.

What is White Day?

White Day is the reverse of Valentines Day. As in the men who had received chocolate, whether it be courtesy or love chocolates on Valentine’s Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts.

When is White Day?

Well I am sure you have already guessed it but White Day is a day that is marked in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and China on March 14 every year, one month after Valentine’s Day.

Valentines Day is celebrated world wide by millions of people. However White Day is a relatively new phenomenon that was created by the confectionery industry in Japan. It was first celebrated in 1978, making it just 39 years old! The National Confectionery Industry Association first celebrated the day 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. (A great idea and marketing ploy in my own opinion.)

However this had only come about after a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimuramanseido, marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day in 1977. Perhaps it was the marshmallows that inspired the white theme for the day in the following years?

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.

So what do the various gifts mean?

• Marshmallows “sorry, I am not interested in you”
• White chocolate: “Let’s be friends.”
• Cookies: “You are a good friend”
• Candies: “I love you too”

Either way, I really like the concept of white day even if it is a commercial holiday like v-day (for the cynics out there). What do you think of White Day?