White Day began in Japan
14 February is Valentine’s Day. And many people probably know what Valentine’s Day is all about.
But how many people know about White Day?
White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, one month after Valentine’s Day. It is an event in which men give gifts in return to women who gave them gifts on Valentine’s Day.
It began in Japan in 1978 and has spread to several other Asian nations and countries worldwide.
White Day is based on the Japanese culture of giving back
In Japan, it is customary to give a gift to the recipient of a present in return for an equivalent gift. It represents the Japanese culture of courtesy.
Japan has a culture of gift-giving: OCHUGEN お中元 (mid-year gifts) and OSEIBO お歳暮 (year-end gifts).
OCHUGEN is a way of expressing gratitude for the six months from the New Year to summer. OSEIBO, the year-end gift is to express gratitude for the whole year. This is also a unique Japanese culture that places great value on courtesy.
The standard image of the mid-year gift OCHUGEN, and a year-end gift OSEIBO is a Japanese woman dressed in a kimono coming to greet the recipient with a gift wrapped in a furoshiki cloth.
The basic rule for both OCHUGEN and OSEIBO is that gifts are given “from a person of lower rank to a person of higher rank”. Bosses, business partners and relatives are the most common recipients.
OZMATCH adopts the traditional Japanese culture of OMIAI, in which a matchmaker introduces single men and women who are likely to be a match. Until a few decades ago, Japanese matchmakers were volunteers, usually elderly Japanese women with a caring nature.
Nowadays, matchmaking is a business, like OZMATCH. But my parents were matched and married through introductions by a neighbourhood matchmaker. And my parents used to send the matchmaker a mid-year gift OCHUGEN and a year-end gift OSEIBO every year.
In this way, it is part of Japanese culture to repay a debt of gratitude to those who have helped you throughout your life.
Be polite. Be respectful.
Japanese culture may be summed up in those words.
White Day is the day to return Valentine’s Day gifts in Japan
Valentine’s Day in Japan differs from Valentine’s Day in the West.
Outside Japan, Valentine’s Day is regarded as a day for couples to express their love, and it is common for men to give flowers to women.
However, in Japan, Valentine’s Day is regarded as a day for women to show their love to men, and it is common for women to give chocolates to men.
If you would like to know more about Valentine’s Day in Japan, this articles will help.
Based on the Japanese culture of giving back when given, men who receive chocolates from women give a gift in return on 14 March.
Having been in Australia for almost 20 years, my memories of White Day in Japan have faded. So I looked into what Japanese men do on White Day. What I found was this:
“If a woman gives you chocolate or a gift on Valentine’s Day, it is important to return the gift on White Day in order to build a good relationship with her.
It is also good manners for men to give back not only to the woman who is your true love, but also to friends and colleagues those who have given you a gift at work. “
If you are a westerner man, this can be difficult to understand.
While it can be tiring for Japanese women to give their bosses and colleagues in the office GIRI-CHOCO (obligatory-gift chocolate) on Valentine’s Day, it can be even more tiring for Japanese men to give back to their colleagues in the office on White Day in response to the GIRI-CHOCO they have received.
I am relieved that I became irrelevant to that culture 20 years ago.
However, having been born and raised in Japan, the culture of giving back and being polite is ingrained in me, and I know that no matter how many years I spend in Australia, politeness will always be the foundation of the way I treat people.
I sometimes tire of Japanese politeness, but I am often glad to be Japanese whenever I come across Western men or women who uses the f words to other people.
Would you like to celebrate Valentine’s Day and White Day with a Japanese woman ?
We are a licensed introduction agency based in Brisbane, QLD Australia, supporting single men and single Japanese women who are looking for a long-lasting romantic relationship.
OZMATCH is suitable for single men who
- want to meet Japanese ladies but don’t know how to meet them.
- prefer a Japanese lady if they were to marry one.
- have tried dating apps but felt that it was a waste of time.
- feel that they are not compatible with Western ladies.
- find Japanese women attractive and feminine at any age.
- want a personalised matchmaking service with a real person assisting them.
- are interested in Japanese culture and studying Japanese.
If you are one of them, OZMATCH could be the platform to find the ideal Japanese lady you have been seeking for.
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