Valentine’s Day in Korea
I’ve never been very into Valentine’s Day. It used to really annoy me when I was single. Now it only mildly annoys me. When I lived in Korea I had to deal with twice the annoyance.
In South Korea they really take Valentine’s Day to the extreme. On February 14th women are supposed to give chocolate to men they fancy. (I love saying fancy now. It’s oh so English of me even though my writing of dates is still not so English.) Then March 14th is called White Day. On White Day the men have to give gifts to the women that gave them chocolate on Valentine’s Day. That means there’s no just one, but two Valentine-like days for people who don’t like Valentine’s Day, like me, to suffer through.
The fun on the 14th of the month doesn’t end there. April 14th is Black Day. Black Day was my favorite. On Black Day the people who are single and had to suffer through Valentine’s Day and White Day get together to eat ja jang myun. Ja jang myun is noodles with pork and vegetables in a black bean paste sauce. I used to eat it all the time in Korea. Delicious!
But wait there’s more! If you’re still single on May 14th don’t fret. That’s Yellow Day. On Yellow Day all of the people who have somehow managed to remain single get together to eat curry. Korean curry is okay, but I would much rather have some more ja jang myun.
The holidays on the 14th keep coming throughout the year, they’re just a lot less recognized. I’m not going to list them all here, but if you’re curious here’s a link to a blog that has. Click here.
