The Burden of Love in Korea
For those of you that get stressed out trying to find gifts for your significant other for Valentines Day, take a look at what Korean couples have to go through:
Thanks to shrewd marketing in a society focused on commerce as well as love and matrimony, there is a special day on the 14th of each month for lovers to celebrate as well as a few other goodies along the way.
For example, January 14 is Diary Day in South Korea when sweethearts are encouraged to buy gifts such as planners and mark all their red-letter days of love.
Next on the calendar is February 14 and Valentine’s Day, where South Korean women buy chocolates for their boyfriends.
Army trucks are regularly deployed to deliver chocolates from women whose boyfriends are in uniform as part of South Korea’s mandatory military service.
March 14 is White Day. This celebration was born in Japan, imported to South Korea and is marked by South Korean men returning the favor of their Valentine’s chocolates with candies for their girlfriends.
April 14 is Black Day and is purely Korean. This is a day where those who have not found love mark their status as lonely hearts by eating black food.
The dish for the day is Chinese noodles topped with a thick black sauce. Single students at universities order scores of bowls and eat them together in the hope of finding a soul mate over noodles.
May 15 is Yellow Day-Rose Day. Lonely hearts gather for curry and companionship. Those who find love by this day exchange roses. Dressing in yellow is also recommended.
Check out the link for more because every month features a love holiday not to mention important anniversaries for Korean couples. It is a good thing they made January 14th Diary Day because you will need a journal to remember all these dates for the rest of the year.
