Happy Valentine's Day❣❣

Today is the 『Valentine's Day』. People in Japan tend to send chocolates as a gift to a lover or a person you like to date. On the other hand, there are different types of chocolate gifts sent to friends and co-leagues. Some people buy luxury sweet to themselves as a treat.

『Valentine’s Day』 is known as a day to celebrate love, and its origin is coming from 『Lupercalia』 which is a festival to celebrate fertility and purification in ancient Rome, and the story of a Christian bishop 『St. Valentine』.

Lupercalia was celebrated from 13th to 15th of February and its traditions was to pair up a man and a woman drawn in a lot to stay together during the festival. It sounds like a coupling event. Also in ancient Rome, solders getting married was strictly forbidden by the emperor Claudius II because he believed it would bring solders' morale. However, St. Valentine was secretly taking vows of lovers wanting to be married. He was caught and executed on 14th of February. The traditional custom of Lupercalia and the story of St. Valentine became 14th of February the 『Valentine's Day』.

St. Valentine’s Day spread all over the world and developed each unique style of celebrating which were affected by commercialization and gift sending culture. In Europe, it started off with sending a greeting card and giving flowers, chocolates and sweet, and jewelries as a gift. Most commonly a gift is sent from a man to a woman unlike Japanese style of a woman sensing a gift to a man. In Japan, we have the 『White Day』 on 14th of March to send a gift back to a person received a gift from. Korea, Taiwan, and some other regions of Asia have this custom. In Korea, 14th of April is the 『Black Day』 to gather amongst people who did not receive any gifts on Valentine's Day and White Day and eat dark colored Jar Jar Noodles enjoy being single.

There are differences in cultures and religions as well as diversity of values and thoughts. Even In Japan, the Valentine's Day is shifting to the day to show appreciation to families, friends, co-leagues, and a partner without getting restricted in sexualities. It is one of the most important things for us to express appreciation and love to the ones we love. Are you expressing your love and appreciation to people arounds you? If not, here is the big chance to show how you are feeling by expressing in your words with a nice gift in your hand.