White Day
Holiday in Asia
title: "White Day" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["japanese-popular-culture", "south-korean-popular-culture", "chinese-popular-culture", "culture-of-taiwan", "culture-of-east-asia", "unofficial-observances", "march-observances", "chocolate-industry", "intimate-relationships", "giving", "1978-introductions", "days-celebrating-love", "love"] description: "Holiday in Asia" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Day" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Holiday in Asia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox holiday"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| holiday_name | White Day |
| image | White Day 001.jpg |
| caption | White Day cake |
| observedby | Japan; regions in East and Southeast Asia |
| date | March 14 |
| duration | 1 day |
| mdy | yes |
| frequency | Annual |
| scheduling | Same day each year |
| relatedto | Valentine's Day |
| type | Cultural |
| :: |
::callout[type=note]
::
| holiday_name = White Day | image = White Day 001.jpg | imagesize = | caption = White Day cake | observedby = Japan; regions in East and Southeast Asia | longtype = | significance = | begins = | date = March 14 | duration = 1 day | mdy = yes | frequency = Annual | scheduling = Same day each year | celebrations = | observances = | relatedto = Valentine's Day | type = Cultural | s = 白色情人节 | t = 白色情人節 | p = Báisè qíngrén jié | katakana = ホワイトデー | romaji = Howaito Dē | hangul = 화이트데이 | rr = Hwaiteu dei | vie = Ngày Valentine Trắng | malay = Hari Putih | my = အဖြူနေ့ | km = ថ្ងៃពណ៌ស
White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day, when men give reciprocal gifts to women who gave them gifts on Valentine's Day. It began in Japan in 1978; its observance has spread to several other East Asian regions like China, Taiwan, South Korea and countries worldwide.
Origin
Though Valentine's Day was being celebrated in Japan by 1936, it did not begin to be popular until the 1970s, giving the day a different meaning from the Western observation. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, , marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day. White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. The National Confectionery Industry Association started it as an "answer day" to Valentine's Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine's Day.
Soon thereafter, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Flowers and other gifts are also given on this day.
Observation
White Day is celebrated one month after Valentine's Day, on March 14. With countries that observe White Day, typically Valentine's Day is celebrated by women and girls presenting chocolate gifts (either store-bought or handmade), usually to the other men and boys, as an expression of love, courtesy, or social obligation.
On White Day, the reverse happens: men who received a or on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts to the women. Gift exchanges happen between romantic partners, friends, and coworkers. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts include food like white chocolate, marshmallows, candy, cookies, and other "white" accessories like jewelry, bags, lotions, and lingerie.
Sometimes the term is used to describe the generally recited rule for men that the return gift should be two to three times the worth of the Valentine's gift they received.
In the latter half of the 2010s, sales figures indicated a decline in the popularity of the observation. It was seen as a result of reduced sales of obligation chocolates on Valentine's Day. Another reason given for the reduction of popularity is the changing gender roles within Japanese culture.
International observation
Outside of Japan, the practice of giving response gifts one month after Valentine's Day has spread internationally. In those cultures, White Day is, for the most part, observed similarly. Some places where this occurs include China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
References
References
- Gordenker, Alice. (March 21, 2006). "White Day". Japan Times.
- Horiuchi, Junko. (March 11, 2020). "Florists promoting flower power as coronavirus sees celebrations canceled".
- . (February 13, 2020). ["Valentine's Day and White Day"](https://www.nippon.com/en/features/jg00025/valentine%E2%80%99s-day-and-white-day.html). *The Nippon Communications Foundation*.
- "Valentine's Day & White Day in Japan". [[Japan National Tourism Organization]].
- "White Day (March 14)". [[University of Hawaiʻi]].
- Tatiana, Garcia. (April 2016). "A Study of Japan's Valentine's and White Day Markets". U.S. Commercial Service.
- (February 13, 2024). "Culture". Japan 101.
- Mineta, Grace. (March 10, 2016). "White Day: Affordable Ways to Return the Love {{!}} Tokyo Cheapo".
- {{Citation. link. Japanese Culture Iroha Dictionary
- Lufkin, Bryan. (March 14, 2019). "White Day: Japan's reverse Valentine's Day". BBC.
- Manalaysay, Bae Kirstein T.. (March 14, 2019). "Valentine's Day Part II: Filipinos and White Day". Philippine Canadian Inquirer.
- "White Day Triggers Consumption Enthusiasm". China Internet Information Center.
- Adelstein, Jake. (March 13, 2018). "How Japan Created White Day, East Asia's Alternate Valentine's Day". Forbes.
- (February 13, 2020). "Valentine's Day Traditions Around the World". Voice of America.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::