Friday's English Valentine

So next Tuesday is Saint Valentine's Day...

Hopefully I'll get some chocolate from my students. The wikipedia page has some interesting history. I learned that here in Japan, there's not just "girichoko" (chocolate given to male co-workers by women, out of obligation), but also "honmeichoko" (chocolate given out of true love). I hope I get some of the latter... ^_^

The wikipedia page says that Valentine's Day in Japan is a result of marketing. It's interesting that in the states, Valentine's Day is for both men and women to show their love for each other. But here in Japan, it's mostly for women to give to men. For my native English speaking readers (all three of you ;-), the Japanese confectionary companies also managed to create a second holiday - "white day", when the men can return the favor by giving sweets to women.

What I didn't know was that there is a "black day" in Korea, when men who were spurned on Valentine's Day can drown their sorrows with noodles in black sauce (see the wikipedia page).

Back when I was a child, Valentine's Day was when you gave a card to a girl you liked and revealed your love for her (and vice versa). To me, this is more romantic than chocolate, especially "girichoko". But I like chocolate, so I won't complain about "getting some".