Valentine’s Day バレンタインデー

Valentine’s Day was Sunday gone. All ladies, did you get a lovely card and flowers from your loved one?

According to Wikipedia Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,^[1] is celebrated annually on February 14.^[2] It originated as a Roman Catholic feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions of the world.

On Valentine’s day, in western countries, lovers express their affection with greeting cards and gifts. Mainly men buy a bunch of flowers, generally roses, and express their feeling towards women. Of course women too show their feeling with gifts. Having said that the day has expanded to expressions of affection among relatives and friends. Many schoolchildren exchange valentines with one another on this day.

In Japan too. The day has became so popular that it is almost a yearly event. The only tiny difference is that women express their affection with cards and a box of chocolates. Some make an original chocolate at home or buy them and give them to men they have feeling of. But it is not always such a romantic way in Japan. Many schoolgirls or female office workers give an chocolate/a box of chocolates to their boy class mates or men colleagues as a casual manner. So called “being polite”. （義理チョコ ・giri choco). It does not necessary that those female have feeling of love. Boys and men are just waiting for how many chocolate they can get. It is like an competition. More chocolates they can get much more they are proud of because receiving more chocolates mean that you got a proof of you being much popular at the schools or the offices. When I used to work at an office, even I had a boyfriend I used to give “giri choco” to my male work mates. Of course, the chocolate I gave to my boyfriend was far different and special one from those I gave male work mates. “GIRI CHOCO” are something like below!

What is a White Day? 　ホワイトデー

Does your country have a day called “White Day”? Someone in Japan has created an another commercial day called ” White Day”. White Day is on March 14, one month after Valentine’s Day, when people give reciprocal gifts to those who gave them gifts received on Valentine’s Day. It began in Japan in 1978; since then, its observance has spread to several other Asian nations. In the above text I have explained that if the schoolboys/male work mates have received lots of “Gri choco”, then that would make them happy and so proud, however, one month later they need to return gifts to women. So being popular is not always easy ha ha ha. In this world there is always “give and take” right?! May be some women would expect more than they gave.

Nevertheless, it would always be nice to get gifts or affection from someone. Specially, under the circumstance around the world, we all need to feel that we are loved by someone.

So I am sending a virtual love and a hug to YOU ALL!!!

LOVE 愛　AI/あい

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See you soon.