Japan also observes a unique reciprocal holiday on March 14th, known as White Day, where men return the favour to those who gifted them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. This was created by the confectionery industry in the late 1970s and has since become a firmly established part of our Valentine’s Day cycle. The next year, they promoted the idea that “women give chocolates to men.” In the 1960s, the confectionery company Morinaga started selling more chocolates during Valentine’s season. Over time, this idea became popular, and women giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day in Japan became a common tradition. Valentine’s Day was not really celebrated in Japan until the 1950s when it became a trend for high school girls to take February 14th as an opportunity to confess their feelings to their crush. An offering of chocolate treats, either store bought or homemade, would have been the most cost effective option for a student. How do they celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan? Although a relatively new holiday in the country, Japan has already developed its own unique traditions and customs for Valentine’s Day, which can be traced back to confectionary ads aimed at foreign citizens in the 1930s. Despite the result, this is the very first Valentine’s Day event in Japan. 1960s. After the first event, Mary’s Chocolate researched the celebration of Valentine’s Day. Later, they succeeded in gradually spreading Valentine’s Day in the nation after started selling heart-shaped chocolate on that customers can ask to write their names. The Evolution of Valentine’s Day in Japan. The earliest instance of Valentine’s Day in Japan came in 1935, when chocolate brand Morozoff, run by a Russian national out of Kobe, consciously decided to introduce the custom to the country. Morozoff began selling chocolate packaged in heart-shaped boxes, marketing them as sweethearts, “to Men/people who received chocolate on Valentine’s Day are expected to return the favor by gifting chocolate to women/Valentine’s Day chocolate givers. White Day was not really a thing in Japan until the 1980s, and the color white is thought to be associated with purity, especially when it comes to innocent teenage love in Japanese culture. Now, chocolate companies in Japan sell more than half of their annual sales during the week before Valentine's Day. Men are supposed to return gifts to women on a day called "White Day" (March 14th). This holiday is a Japanese creation. Valentine’s Day in Japan is a day when romance, tradition, and sweet gestures come together. On this special day, you can find signs of love and warm affection everywhere, from mythology and natural symbols to unique gifts embodying Japanese culture's essence. These practices make Valentine's Day a fantastic celebration of love in all its forms! Other companies would attempt to ignite the Valentine’s Day flame in Japan, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that it found its place. It was promoted as a holiday when women or girls would give inexpensive chocolates to the opposite sex to express their interest – similar to the tradition of “Sadie Hawkins” dances in the US and Canada. When did People Start to Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan? There are several theories over the origin of Valentine’s Day in Japan, but it is widely believed to have arrived in Japan in the 1930’s. Morozoff, a famous Japanese confectionery company, started as a small chocolate shop in 1931 when it began a marketing campaign to encourage people to buy and send chocola In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a unique way: women take the lead in expressing their affection. They gift chocolates to men, with different types of chocolates signifying different This is the case in Japan. How do they celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan? The beginnings of this festivity come from 1936, when a confectioner placed an advertisement for the edition of an English-language newspaper called Japan Advertiser for February 12th, where it suggested readers give chocolates as a Valentine’s Day gift. it can be an extension of girichoco (obligation chocolate) but generally uncommon since white day is male giving equivalent. I wouldn't say forbidden, especially if you're not Japanese - male coworkers or friends would probably just laugh & thank you for the chocolates, or try to explain Valentine's vs. White day to you. People in Turkey celebrate Valentine’s Day as they do in many other countries—with gifts and dinners—but it’s also a particularly popular day for marriages and marriage proposals. The day is called Sevgililer Günü in Turkish, which means Lovers’ Day. History of Valentine’s Day in Japan. The history of Valentine’s Day in Japan dates back to the 1950s, much later than the West. This is because many confectioners and department stores started campaigns around that time! Their main demographic was women who wanted to buy chocolate for husbands and boyfriends. (Source: Kayla Speid/Unsplash) Like in most every Valentine's Day-celebrating country in the world, chocolates take center stage in Japan. But Japan has put its own unique spin on Valentine's Day chocolates in that, different types of chocolates can mean different things and are therefore given based on the giver's relationship with the receiver. An older tradition states that the first man that a single woman spots on Valentine's Day will become her husband within the year. Japan. The Japanese associate February 14 with one thing: chocolate. Some estimates suggest that Japanese chocolatiers make half of their yearly income from Valentine's Day sales. Department stores and supermarkets dedicate entire sections to Valentine’s Day gifts in the weeks leading up to February 14th. White Day. In response to Valentine’s Day, Japan has also established “White Day” on March 14th. On this day, men who received chocolates are expected to return the favor by giving gifts to the women who gave Every year on Feb. 14, Americans celebrate Valentine's Day. The February holiday is set aside to let that special someone know how much they're cared about through gifts, flowers, greeting cards
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