White Dayホワイトデー

White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, a month after Valentine's Day, as a day to return gifts to those who gave gifts on Valentine's Day. It started in Japan in 1978 and has since spread to other Asian countries.

The Origins Valentine's Day was first introduced in Japan in 1936 but didn't become widely celebrated until the 1970s with a different observation than in the West. It was mainly a chance for girls to express their affection to boys. In 1977, a confectionery company in Fukuoka, Ishimuramanseido, marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, which they called Marshmallow Day. White Day was established in 1978 by the National Confectionery Industry Association as a "response day" to Valentine's Day, where men were expected to repay the women who gave them chocolate and gifts.

Nowadays, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other gifts such as jewelry, sentimental items, or white clothing like lingerie to the women who gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day. Flowers and other gifts are also given on White Day.