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White Day is held exactly one month after Valentine’s Day on March 14 every year and is celebrated mainly in east Asian cultures such as Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Vietnam and Macau.
White Day is the day for the ladies to get spoilt, which seems unusual – don’t the ladies get spoilt on Valentine’s Day anyway? Celebrating Valentine’s Day in western cultures is largely about women getting spoilt by their man, though both men and women exchange gifts.
In east Asian cultures the Valentine’s Day tradition is for women to express the love, gratitude and respect they have for the men in their lives. Every Valentine’s Day, women gift lavish chocolates to their partner, and less expensive chocolates to colleagues, employers and older brothers.
White day is the reversal of Valentine’s Day, where the men who received gifts on Valentine’s Day are expected to return the favour. The return gift should be two to three times the worth of the Valentine’s gift they received! Popular gifts on White Day are white flowers, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie and white marshmallows.
Ishimura Manseido, a small confectionary shop in the Hakata region of Japan is actually responsible for White Day! Looking for inspiration for their next big invention, the owner found a letter to the editor in a women’s magazine. A woman wrote in suggesting it wasn’t fair that men get chocolates from women on Valentine’s Day, but they don’t return the favour. She then suggested they return the gesture with a gift such as a handkerchief, candy or even marshmallows.
The owner agreed, and marketed March 14, exactly one month after Valentine’s Day as Marshmallow Day, where the men returned the favour by gifting women chocolate-filled marshmallows.
Yum! It got attention, but the name didn’t stick. Instead, it was changed to White Day, as a nod to marshmallows but also as a more open-ended name to let the men get a little more creative than a bag of marshmallows. It’s been a popular tradition since 1978, though now the women get a better return on their chocolate investment, with the most popular gifts being jewellery and flowers!
Whether you think this is a really cool idea or you accidentally forgot to send her flowers on Valentine’s Day, join in on the White Day celebrations just like many others around the world!
We have a wide selection of white flower bouquets and arrangements perfect for the celebration, and the perfect way to show your partner your purest emotions. Choose from romantic white roses, oriental lilies and elegant orchids. Virtue features stunning white Singapore orchids presented in a glass vase with white ribbon, this striking gift is sure to make her day.
What are your thoughts on White Day? Head to our Facebook page and let us know!
You can’t go wrong with white roses on White Day! Surprise her with a single white long-stemmed rose like First White Rose available for delivery Australia-wide. Receive same day delivery if you order before 2pm AEDT Monday to Friday and before 10am AEDT on Saturdays!