White Valentine's Day - Everything You Should Ever Know

Valentine's Day is celebrated worldwide every year on February 14th. Amazingly, not everyone celebrates it then. In some countries, like Japan, Valentine's Day is only observed by women giving candies, chocolates, and other gifts to their loved ones. In return, they also get a reciprocal of the same one month later. That is White Valentine's Day. It is also celebrated similarly to Valentine's Day.

The difference is that men return the favor to women this time around. And mind you, the gift bestowed on the woman should be thrice the value of the gifts given to her on Valentine's Day.

Part 1: Basic information about White Valentine's Day

White Valentine's Day is not widely celebrated as Valentine's Day. White Valentine came as a result of Valentine's Day's reaction from one lady who felt men needed to show some appreciation to their women. Let's uncover some facts about White Valentine's Day.

1. When is it?

A White Valentine comes on March 14th, one month after Valentine's Day. The holiday began as a Japanese holiday way back in 1978. It gave men the opportunity to show appreciation to their women for the gifts given on Valentine's Day. Common gifts on this day are candies, cookies, and chocolates. However, some people go further to dish out fine and expensive gifts of any nature.

2. The origin of it

If you hail from an East Asian country, then the significance of the White Valentine might be crucial to you. However, it is not as popularly celebrated in other parts of the world as Valentine's Day is. The holiday is perceived to have been invented in southern Japan by a sweet-making company in 1977. There is a woman who inspired this by writing a letter. She claimed it was not fair for men to get gifts like chocolates and flowers from women on Valentine's Day, and yet there was no return for the same. That's how the birth of White Valentines came about. The following year, in 1978, the first White day was celebrated, but under the name of Marshmallow Day. This name, however, didn't stick for long, and by the 1980s, everyone had known it widely as White Day.

3. How are people commemorating this festival?

Even though White Valentine's Day is not celebrated widely in most countries, many people have started to embrace this concept. People return favors most of the time with some deserving gifts. It shouldn't be any different either with Valentine's Day gifts. However, because it originated in East Asia, it is popular in Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, and China.

It works directly. Once girls and women give gifts like chocolates and flowers to men on Valentine's Day, the men reciprocate by giving their gifts to the women a month later, on March 14th. But again, a lot of attention is given to the kinds of chocolates that women give on Valentine's Day. The "chocolate of love" is given to someone with whom you have romantic feelings.

Nonetheless, the other type, courtesy chocolate, suits general friends with no romantic feelings at all. Because of this, men should appropriately return gifts. If there are romantic feelings involved, then a guy can give a woman rewarding and valuable gifts, actually three times the value of a Valentine's Day gift. However, if the man doesn't feel any chemistry with the lady who gifted him then just some gift is appropriate.

Part 2: What's the difference between Valentine's Day and White Valentine's Day?

There are differences between Valentine's Day and White Valentine's Day. Because Valentine's Day falls on February 14th every year, it's called "White Valentine's Day." White Day is, therefore, a follow-up holiday that was discovered way after Valentine's Day. White Day has now been in existence for 40 years and has been turned into a spending event, even by men. As Japanese women give chocolates on Valentine's Day, the men who received the gifts return the favor to their ladies. Here is an in-depth comparison of the two days.

1. Origin

Valentine's Day originated in Rome. The celebration was derived from the Roman festival known as Lupercalia. This event marked the arrival of spring, which also comprised fertility rites. The event eventually became a cultural event worldwide.

White Valentine's Day, on the other hand, originated from Japan. It came about as a reciprocal to Valentine's Day, where men showed their appreciation to women who gifted them on Valentine's Day.

2. Date

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th, while White Valentine's Day is on March 14th. You can give any gift of your choice on Valentine's Day, such as jewelry, cards, flowers, dinner out, etc. Nonetheless, there are particular chocolates for the white Valentine's Day occasion. Valentine's Day allows lovers to confess love to that special person as it is celebrated in most countries. This is, however, different in Japan. Here, it's the women to dish out gifts to their partners.

3. The Tradition

Red roses are beautiful and an obvious romantic gesture. But it was not until the 17th century that this gesture became a popular custom, and the dishing of flowers to show love took a toll on Valentine's Day occasions. White Valentine came much later, just about four decades ago. It is symbolized by white gifts like chocolates.

4. Definition

Valentine's Day is celebrated widely in most countries. It is a day that loved ones celebrate each other, regardless of the kind of gifts offered. However, some countries perceive it as the day that women give gifts to their men. White Day is the opposite of Valentine's Day. As Valentine's Day is celebrated worldwide, White Day is only recognized in East Asian countries. Again, the men are the ones that give a reciprocal of the gifts they received from their women on Valentine's Day. It is also not as widely known as Valentine's Day.

Symbolism

Valentine's Day is marked by the exchanging of gifts. Couples or friends share their love, expressing their gratitude. Valentine's Day is considered a cultural practice in some countries. Valentine's Day is meant to reciprocate the love shown to you on Valentine's Day. Generally, it's men who offer gifts to their women.

Part 3: Similarities between Valentine's Day and White Day

Despite certain differences, some similarities between Valentine's Day and White Valentine also exist. Check out where they cross the line in the same direction.

Gifts sharing

There is the sharing of gifts in both cultures. On Valentine's Day, couples and lovers spend some time out, whereby they also exchange gifts as a way of appreciating each other's love. In most countries, both men and women can give gifts of their choice. This is pretty different in Japan and other countries that practice White Valentine culture. Here, it's the women who are supposed to give gifts to their men. Then when it comes to White Valentine, we see men gifting back to women as an appreciation of the gifts they received on Valentine's Day.

Cultural practices

Valentine's Day is celebrated worldwide as a cultural event. It originated as a Christian feast day that honored early Christian martyrs. Saint Valentine was among them. This has so far become a significant cultural celebration of romance among lovers. In Asian countries, the White Valentine is a cultural event in which men express their gratitude to their wives for the gifts they received on Valentine's Day. Traditionally, the gifts given by men on White Day ought to be white. It could be white chocolates, lingerie, or just using white gift wrap paper for your present.

Yearly celebrations

These occasions are both performed yearly. People wait for these special occasions to express their love. Even though you should express affection to your loved ones often, there is something special about both Valentine's Day and White Valentine. And being a yearly event, the occasions are memorable. Everyone feels adamant about participating, especially if you have a lover or a crush. They are both special seasons for special people.

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