Western Valentine's Day was originally the festival of faun in Rome. On this day, men can choose their lover of the year by drawing lots. In the third century, it became a day to commemorate the martyr Saint Valentine, and later evolved into a festival for lovers to exchange cards or gifts.
Japanese Valentine's Day may be a little more special than other foreign Valentine's Day holidays. Although it is also a gift for lovers, the protagonist of Japanese Valentine's Day is a woman, and the sovereignty is in the hands of girls. The gift is mainly chocolate.
On this day, about 80% girls are either nervous, serious, generous and affectionate, or very happy, or ... give their delicate and lovely chocolates to boys.
There are two kinds of chocolates, namely "Erie Ke Qiao" (ぎりチョコ) and "Ke Qiao, the core relic of life" (ほんめぃチョコ). The former is. The latter was given to a true lover, husband or secret crush.
The boundary between these two kinds of chocolates is very clear. "Yi Li Ke Qiao" is usually the kind of chocolate that can be seen on weekdays under 500 yen, while "Ke Qiao, the core monument of life" is handmade and unique in the world, or high-grade chocolate plus gifts.
The custom of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day originated from 1958. This is of course the idea of the chocolate manufacturer, but it is said that only three heart-shaped chocolates were sold in the first year. Later, with the changes of the times, Japanese women gradually got rid of the traditional sense of oppression and obedience, and Valentine's Day became a common practice year by year. Girls even have sovereignty over them, and boys are not allowed to act rashly on this day, so that all boys can only "let girls kill them" on this day.
1978, Japan's National Confectionery and Dim Sum Industry Association established "White Day", which gave boys a recognized "counterattack" opportunity on March 14, and responded or rejected girls' love with candy and biscuits.
There is an interesting statistic. It is said that in addition to chocolate, girls will also attach CDs, books, red wine, watches, costumes and hand-knitted sweaters to boys in the core souvenirs of their lives. I couldn't help laughing when I saw the hand-knitted sweater in the last item. I always thought that modern Japanese girls probably wouldn't do such a lovely move, but I didn't expect to be included in the six gifts.
I remember that in high school, one month before Valentine's Day, more than half of the girls in the class worked tirelessly to knit sweaters in class or between classes. During this period, the teacher also turned a blind eye and did not specifically blame the female students.
At that time, I followed others to join in the fun and learned to knit a sweater, but often Valentine's Day passed before a sweater was finished. At that time, who told junior high schools in Taiwan Province Province not to teach female students to knit sweaters? Japan started teaching in primary school, and I took a cooking class in high school! In my time, Japanese schools only taught girls to do these housework. Now my son, a Japanese boy born in the 1980s, has been learning sewing and cooking since elementary school. )
But think about it. What kind of climate in Kaohsiung, Taiwan Province Province needs sweaters and scarves? This is not because my junior high school is not serious, but because the national conditions are different. Fortunately, when I graduated from high school, I was able to play scarves, vests and sweaters skillfully.
Japanese Valentine's Day is indeed a special festival for girls, because girls can openly say "I want to chase you" to boys through chocolate on this day. But what about the boy's mood? According to statistics, more than 80% boys like to eat chocolate, but half of them say they don't want to spend Valentine's Day. Why? The answer is: "On this day, my male value will be severely tested! Boys are right to complain. If you didn't even get a "Yi Li Ke Qiao" that day, wasn't it "careless" that was labeled as "nobody cares"?
Generally speaking, primary school students and even girls over the age of 60, whether married or unmarried, mostly greet Valentine's Day with joy. But boys seem to be nervous about the "return gift" after one month.
If you say "Yi Li Ke Qiao", thank you with "Yi Li cookies". The headache is "Chuck, the core monument of life". If you also have a crush on each other, just invite them to dinner or buy jewelry to give back to girls, and the two sides can hit it off without traveling far away.
What is embarrassing is the example of "falling flowers are intentional and running water is ruthless". What I can't stand most is chocolate that can't distinguish between "righteousness" and "the core monument of life". It seems that boys seem to have all kinds of unspeakable difficulties. The only minority who supports Valentine's Day with both hands is unexpectedly a man over 60. They affirmed the biggest reason for Valentine's Day: "Valentine's Day can take root and sprout, which shows that Japan is in a state of peace. This is a welcome atmosphere. 」
Personally, I am an active person, but I haven't bought any "core mementos of life" except the "Yi Li mementos" for senior high school teachers, bosses and male colleagues at work. Therefore, I have a delusion that I want to "rebel" in a nursing home after I am 80 years old, and on Valentine's Day, I will throw a "wedge of the core memorial of life" at the truly "neglected" old people to rejuvenate them.
Being a woman, even if you can't have a romantic life, you have to live a romantic life, right?
It is said that another kind of "tomochoko”(ともチョコ) has appeared in recent two years, which is a chocolate that girls give to girls on Valentine's Day. However, there seems to be a hierarchy here. If the object is a close friend, give handmade chocolate, if it is an ordinary friend, give ordinary chocolate sold in the market. In my opinion, this is more difficult than Yi Li Ke Qiao or the Central Monument to Ke Qiao's Life.