Ppeppero Day and Other Quirky Korean Holidays

If you take a look at the date, November 11th, and use the number “11” in lieu of the month’s full name, you may notice that you have four “1”’s all in a row. Well, in Korea, that’s all you need to create a popular holiday.

And since the mid-1990s, November 11th has been celebrated as “Ppeppero Day,” named after a snack sold by the Lotte Confectionary Company. The long cookie sticks, typically dipped in chocolate, share the same shape as the number “1” and thus, have inspired an annual ritual of young lovers and office workers exchanging gift boxes of the candy. Not surprisingly, everywhere from swanky department stores to corner convenience marts all try to cash in on the marketing gimmick turned cultural phenomenon.

Ppeppero Day has become a popular holiday to show one’s affection to lovers, classmates and coworkers.

Korea has seemingly dozens of these quirky, informal holidays that are enthusiastically celebrated by young people, although many are popular regardless of age. And in a nation that’s obsessed with girlfriends, boyfriends and, “When are you getting married, anyway?”, it’s no coincidence that most of the holidays are centered around love.

White Day, which occurs on March 14th, is when men are supposed to buy gifts for the ladies.

Of course, there’s Valentines Day, which is celebrated with gusto in Seoul, but local custom demands that it’s women who give the gifts on February 14th. March 14th, on the other hand, is the popular “White Day,” when men are supposed to return the favor at three-times the value of the gift they received back in February. Clever, ladies!

While these two holidays are foreign imports, V-Day originally from Great Britain and White Day from Japan, there are many other second-tier holidays that are wholly Korean inventions. April 14th is the dreaded “Black Day.” Also known as “solo regiment” (솔로부대), this day mourns those without a love interest. But unlike the other holidays, you won’t see sidewalks filled with chocolate towers or pink baskets since there’s really nothing to sell on Black Day except jjajangmyun, a Chinese-inspired noodle dish served in dark sauce that’s become the holiday’s signature dish.

Despite the cold temps, Ppeppero Day means that most convenience stores, drug stores and confectionary companies like Cold Stone Creamery station staffers outside to hock goods.

But why stop there? Korea’s quirky holidays just keep going. The 14th of every month has been designated a love-related holiday. Supposedly May 14th is Rose day, although it’s also Yellow day. Anyway, June 14th is Kiss Day and July 14th is Silver Day, a holiday when you exchange silver rings with your lover. I’m a bigger fan of August 14th, also known as Green Day, when couples drink bottles of the alcoholic beverage soju, which is typically sold in green bottles, and then you’re supposed to go take a walk in the woods. For those of us in the urban jungle of Seoul, I guess the Cheonggyecheon Stream will suffice.

Teddy bear + Ppeppero gift baskets on sale November 11th.

These latter days don’t enjoy widespread celebration, but this so-called “day marketing” has proven lucrative for local businesses. Analysts say that Lotte, the makers of Ppeppero, sell two-thirds of their candy sticks inventory in November alone, a business garnering the company a reported 44 billion won in 2005, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Korean government is hoping to steal some of the limelight from Ppeppero Day by launching its own day in honor of chalk-shaped rice cakes.

In recent years, the government has been trying to cash in on November 11th’s cachet, by promoting its own treat. Since 2006, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has promoted 11-11 as Garaetteok Day in honor of the stick-shaped rice cakes. Created to promote domestic rice consumption, the ministry has crafted mascots and promotional events to wrest the day away from Ppeppero. But something tells me that November 11th will remain one of Korea’s quirky “love” holidays, for many years to come.

(A version of this text aired on KBS World Radio on November 11, 2009.)