Valentine’s Day is only few days away. Both Canada and Korea celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th of every year and they both understand the day as a signifier for romance and love. That’s about it with similarities. Valentine’s Day in Canada and Korea are very different. Let’s explore both countries’ Valentine’s Day!

In Canada, Valentine’s Day is a day for couples to have a romantic date and go out for dinner. It is not too big of a celebration. Women set high expectations for a meaningful gift and men scramble to buy that meaningful gift. These gifts are usually flowers, chocolates, lingerie, jewelry or something else romantic. Don’t get me wrong- ladies prepare gifts and a card for guys as well.

Valentine’s Day is not a statutory holiday; it is a regular business day as usual. Nothing shuts down or runs on a holiday schedule. Couples exchange Valentine’s Day gifts and go out for dinner or spend time at some other romantic place, such as cocktail bar. This day is also a popular day for men to propose marriage. Since it is a day of love, it gives extra special meaning to the proposal.

Children at schools may exchange Valentine’s Day cards and chocolates or any other forms of treats (cookies and cupcakes). Some schools may also hold a dance or a class party for kids to better understand Valentine’s Day.

On the other hand, Korea’s Valentine’s Day is celebrated a bit differently. Only women give chocolate to men. There is a separate day, White Day (March 14th), for men to give non-chocolate treats to women. On Black Day (April 14th), people who did not receive anything on either day go to Korean-Chinese restaurant to eat black bean noodles (짜장면) to “mourn” their single life. (This is so depressing T.T) There is also Pepero Day (November 11th), which is a day couples give each other Pepero cookies (빼빼로). In Korea 14th of every month marks a love-related day, although most of them are obscure and some are not even celebrated. From January to December: Candle Day, Valentine’s Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day, and Hug Day.

The qualities of Korean ladies’ chocolates are unreal. From chocolate making to packaging, they put a huge amount of time and efforts into them. First, most chocolates are handmade by them. They buy chocolates and decorative sprinklers to make their personalized chocolate. Many girls write initials of the couple, “I love you,” and also draw hearts. Then they package these chocolates with boxes, tissue papers, and ribbons. Some ladies even make handmade cards for extra thought. More people nowadays buy chocolates and only do the wrapping of them. Nevertheless, it still looks amazing compared to other countries’ chocolate. Valentine’s Day in Korea is a day for guys to just sit back and relax… at least for now.

I hope all of you guys enjoy tomorrow with your special someone. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!♥