Next: 14 Mar 2027
White Day
One month after Valentine’s Day, men in Japan and Korea give white gifts in return: white chocolate, marshmallows, sweets.
The colours of White Day
In Japan, women give chocolate to men on Valentine's Day. White Day, exactly a month later, is when men answer. It began in the late 1970s as an idea of Japanese sweet makers, first with marshmallows and then with white chocolate, and the name stuck. Shops fill with gifts in white and pale blue boxes: white chocolate, biscuits, sweets and sometimes jewellery. White was chosen partly for the sweets themselves and partly because it suggests sincerity and a pure heart. The custom spread to South Korea, Taiwan and China. South Korea added a third date: on 14 April, Black Day, people who received nothing on either day meet to eat jajangmyeon, noodles in black bean sauce.
#FDFBF7Marshmallow whiteThe first White Day gift.#F3E5C3White chocolateThe usual gift today.#A9CCE8Box bluePale blue wrapping used for the day.#1B1B1BBlack DayKorea’s April sequel, eaten in black noodles.Values are fair approximations, not official shades.
Read about the colours
Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "White Day" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.