Japanese Holidays - White Day

March 14th is an occasion for the Japanese to thank women for their gifts on Valentine's Day. Valentine, because on this day there is a holiday with a romantic, such an unusual name - White Day (howaito dee). Traditionally, on this day, men give women marshmallows and other sweets, always white. In addition, gifts such as white gold jewelry, underwear, and soft toys are allowed. In addition to the Japanese, White Day is celebrated on the island of Taiwan and Korea. White Day is an unofficial but popular holiday. Nowadays, few people remember how it all began. The tradition of giving sweets to women began in 1965 on the initiative of Marshmallow, a manufacturer of confectionery sweets. In order to increase sales, the company conducted an advertising campaign called “White Day” and invited men to thank women for gifts on Valentine's Day. This proposal was accepted with a bang. An unusual marketing ploy has grown to the size of a national holiday with its own traditions and customs. Why is it necessary to thank women on this day? The fact is that in Japan, Valentine's Day is celebrated differently than in our country. On February 14th, only women show attention and give the opposite sex valentines, chocolates and sweets. In addition to lovers, signs of attention are shown to friends and colleagues. A month later, men must give reciprocal gifts to all women who congratulated them on Valentine's Day. One of the unwritten but observed rules of this day is that gifts for White Day should be at least 2 times more expensive. In Japan, White Day is incredibly popular, because everyone considers it their duty to thank their colleagues and loved ones. Revenues from sales of chocolate and sweets are growing these days and amount to almost 5 billion yen, an amount equivalent to 0.5 million dollars. In addition to sweet gifts, women also receive more expensive gifts, but always white.