Valentine’s Day

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2024.02.14

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February 14th marks Valentine’s Day around the world. A day when couples can show their love and affection for each other by exchanging sweets and chocolates, and the companies that make such treats can make a massive profit! Valentine’s Day is celebrated a little differently in Japan, where the giving of chocolates is rather one-directional. It’s customary for girls to give boys chocolates, but not the other way around. Whereas in the rest of the world, boys and girls often give to each other.

However, Japan has invented its own system whereby boys can reciprocate the favour by giving girls chocolates on March 14th, known as “White Day.”

White Day began in 1978 in Japan but has since spread to other Asian countries and helps to boost the sales of sweets and chocolates even more!

The celebration of Valentine’s Day as a day of romance dates back to the 14th century in Europe. But the history of the day may date back even further. One theory of the origin dates back to the Roman empire in which a priest named Valentine performed wedding ceremonies for Roman soldiers in secret. At that time, it was forbidden for soldiers of the Roman empire to marry. However, as is always the case, the power of love is stronger that any rules or laws. Inevitably, some Roman soldiers fell in love and desired to be married. It is rumoured that Father Valentine was caught performing these wedding ceremonies and was executed by the emperor for disobeying the laws of Rome. As a result, he became a saint and is celebrated around the world for his romantic courage.

Regardless of the origin of Valentine’s Day, it is always nice to receive a gift, and chocolate usually puts a smile on everyone’s face. It’s also a good opportunity to show your appreciation to someone, whether it’s a friend, teacher, co-worker or family member. Let’s hope the tradition continues long into the future.