A little Japanese culture lesson about Valentine’s Day. In Japan on Valentine’s Day women give chocolates to men and not just their crushes or their lovers. They give them to fathers and brothers and even their male colleagues at work. Women do all the giving. Men get all the chocolate.
However, in March it all gets turned around on White Day (14 March), when men reciprocate by giving white gifts to women. Often it’s white chocolates or marshmallow sweets, but it can be anything white. J Style likes to suggest a white vase of pretty white flowers or a lovely white dinner set. Perhaps a set of white udon bowls because udon noodles are also white or a cute white polar bear tea set and some white leaf tea. How about a white cat mug for drinking milk? It’s fun to get creative with your white gifts.
There is also a saying that the gift given should be three times the gift received. In other words, if you give a man a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, you can expect a gift worth three times that back on White Day.
This tradition has spread from Japan to many other Asian countries. Wouldn’t it be great if it spread to Australia too? While no-one wants to give up their chocolates and roses on Valentine’s Day, at least we could add White Day to the calendar and all give white gifts to each other in March. Hunting down a quirky, interesting and also white gift for your loved ones makes a fun gift giving challenge and a great excuse for a beautiful window display in all white in March.
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