12 Feb 2009, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Gangwon, Gyeongsang, Historic Korea, Nature, Seoul, Shopping, 4 Comments
Romantic Holidays and Destinations
A snapshot of a sidewalk “White Day” sale near Ewha Woman’s University (sic) from last year.
No, Valentine’s Day isn’t an indigenous creation, but Koreans have embraced the holiday fully. And beyond being just a day for shops to sell anything pink or red, it’s also a special time to tell someone in your life, saranghae (사랑해), or “I love you.”
Actually, there are many quasi-official days for love in Korea. Youth and marketers have conspired to designate the 14th of almost every month a special day, with very specific rules to follow.
For example, although today is observed as Valentine’s Day in Korea, traditionally it’s when women give chocolate and gifts to their significant others. On March 14th, which is called “White Day,” the roles are reversed, and get this, some say that men are supposed to give gifts that are three times the value of what she gave you the previous month!
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