I got chocolate from a few students today. Not that I needed it, of course, but it's the custom, in Korea and Japan, that the womenfolk do favors for the menfolk on Valentine's Day. A separate day, known by the very Klan-sounding moniker "White Day" (which occurs in mid-March), allows the men to return the favor to their women. A month after White Day, there's Black Day, the day when all single people eat jjajang-myeon, i.e., Chinese noodles in black bean paste. The black color symbolizes the soul-desolation of the singleton: it sucks to be alone, don't it? Enjoy your freakin' meal.
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Kev:
ReplyDeleteDon't forget 'Yellow Day,' when you eat curry rice if you haven't found that SO, or send roses if you did find a SO. The Korea Tourism Organization has a veritable laundry list of lesser known "Days" where the smitten can spend their hard earned won on each other.
Regards,
Charlie, The KimcheeGI