It's now April, so it's about time I try to catch up on the months. I'll start with February, as nothing particularly interesting happens in January after New Year's.
In America, February is heralded (often as soon as Christmas is out) by heart shaped signs and confections in reds and pinks. For even the most hard-hearted of folks, it is impossible to escape this holiday and the repercussions of (gasp!) forgetting to get something for a significant other.
For those not romantically involved, it's a nice opportunity to give small gifts to friends, as well as a perfect excuse to eat your weight in chocolate.
In Japan, the borrowed holiday has been adopted as a holiday for lovers. While it's become a little more popular to give chocolates to your friends, it's mostly a couples holiday. The Japanese also capitalized big on this by creating another holiday to go along with it: White Day.
So what's the difference?
Well, on Valentine's Day, women give chocolates to the men (or special man) in their lives. Mothers will usually give some to their sons as well, as a show of affection. Handmade chocolates are particularly impressive, and -- when well-done -- coveted. Boys at school often joke eagerly about who will receive the most chocolates (even though they're not allowed to give them or receive them at school!)
White day, in turn, takes place on March 14th. This is the time when people reciprocate for the gifts they've received, usually with white chocolate in return. If you really know your gifter, you'll get them what they actually liked.
While I enjoyed the displays, I definitely didn't let Japanese conventions stop me this year. I made chocolates for my female coworkers, and my direct male boss as well (some people call this last one giri or obligation chocolate, but he's a really awesome boss!). As a result, I cashed in pretty well on White day!
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