Happy Valentine's Day - 富士市の英会話スクール-HARIOイングリッシュスクール

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2020.02.19

Happy Valentine’s Day

カテゴリー：ブログ

Hello everyone,

Happy Valentine’s Day! Last Friday people all over the world celebrated this day, but in different ways. In western culture it is a day when we celebrate love by giving a card or gift to a partner. Both men and women can give and receive gifts on this day. In Japan, however, women give chocolate or sweets to men. It isn’t a romantic gesture, though. Family, friends, classmates, and colleagues can all be gifted chocolate from females on this day. Great if you’re a man, right? Wait, there’s a catch! If you’ve gotten chocolate, it’s very important to remember who it came from. Keep a list if you have to. Because on March 14th you have to return the favor of sweets to all of the women and girls who gifted you. March 14th is White Day. It exists in a few South and East Asian countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association 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. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimuramanseido, marketed marshmallows to men on March 14th, calling it Marshmallow Day. I had never heard of White Day before I came to Japan. It’s interesting to see the differences in culture of Valentine’s Day in other parts of the world.

What are you going to do for the long weekend? There’s a new holiday here, thanks to the new Emperor Naruhito. His birthday next Sunday makes the following Monday a national holiday. So enjoy the weekend!

Alan

みなさん、こんにちは。アランです。

ハッピーバレンタイン！先週の金曜日は世界中でこの日を違う方法で祝いました。西洋では一般的に、恋人にカードやプレゼントを渡します。男女問わずです。しかし日本では、女性がチョコなどを男性にあげます。なんだか変な感じがします。家族や友達、クラスメート、同僚など女性からギフトをもらいます。男性にはいい日ですよね。でもちょっと待って。チョコレートをもらったら誰からもらったか覚えておかないといけません。リストを作らないと。それは３月１４日のためです。今度は男性がお返しをしなければいけません。ホワイトデーは、台湾、韓国、ベトナム、香港それと日本などの国々だけの習わしのようです。ホワイトデーは１９７８年に日本で始まったそうです。私は日本に来るまで、このホワイトデーの存在をしりませんでした。世界の文化、習わしはおもしろいですね。