Day

of
Love
By: Vakhtang Narakidze
 April 15 is Day of Love in Georgia. This secular holiday is devoted to all
people in love and it should replace Valentines' Day.The idea to create Day
Day Of of Love belongs to a national showbiz-maker Besik Chubinidze. His idea wa
Lo v e I n supported by many Georgian parliamentarians and the holiday was
established in the end of the 1990s. Although Day of Love was created to
Ge o rg i a totally replace Valentine's Day, nowadays both holidays are celebrated.

Traditionally, lovers give each other gifts, like candies or perfume, and flowers, make
surprises on Day of Love. Many dare to show their secret feelings and even make a proposal.
This holiday is especially admired by sellers of flowers and candies, since these are very
popular gifts.
 In the West, Valentine’s Day is well established as an opportunity to
confess love to that one special person in your life and shower them with
Day O f affection, which usually means showering them with gifts or planning to
L o v e I n take them on the perfect date. It is usually the man who is expected to
Ja p a n do the heavy lifting and buy their girl an assortment of candy-colored
goodies to express their love and celebrate the special day.
Valentine’s Day in Japan goes down a little differently: men are usually expected to do
very little on February 14th and it is the women who are expected to be the principal gift-
giver. Not just to their partner, but also to men with who they share any kind of significant
relationship.
Another big difference is the kind of gift given: while cards, flowers, jewelry or expensive
dinners are all considered fair game for Valentine’s Day in many countries, there is only one
acceptable option in Japan: lots and lots of chocolate.
However, just because men don’t have to spend money on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean
they get away with not reciprocating for the rest of the year. Read on to find out
how Valentine’s customs work in Japan and the day when men are expected to give back.
 Although a relatively new holiday in the country, Japan has already developed its own unique
traditions and customs for Valentine’s Day, which can be tracedback to confectionary ads aime
at foreign citizens in the 1930s.
Japanese confectionery manufacturers soon saw the potential for the holiday among local
consumers and began marketing heart-shaped chocolates as a way for women to express‘
‘kokuhaku’ (the act of confessing feelings), something that was considered taboo at the
time.
Soon the tradition caught on, and many even credit the introduction of the custom as
a turning point in the way that Japanese men and women interact with each other.
It also became hugely profitable for chocolate sellers and department stores, who began to
develop increasingly elaborate Valentine’s displays to draw in the customers. Those who
visit modern Tokyo with the Japan Rail Pass in the run-up to Valentine’s Day will be able to
see how far this custom has developed since a huge variety of stores now overflow with
colorful displays and elaborately flavored and packaged chocolates.
It is also a popular option for women to gift homemade chocolate instead of store-bought
candy, and many shops offer a variety of chocolate-making supplies in February for a more
personal gift.
Types of Japanese Valentine’s Day chocolate

Japanese women are expected to gift the following chocolate on Valentine’s

Day depending on the kind of relationship they have with the recipient:
• Giri-choco – Roughly translated as ‘obligation chocolate’, this gift is intended as a ‘debt of
gratitude’ and should be given to male friends, bosses, family members or work
colleagues.
• Honmei-choco – These sweet treats are often hand-made for an extra personal touch
and given exclusively to a significant other, whether a boyfriend, husband, or lover.
• Jibun-choco – Chocolate you buy and gift yourself for a well-deserved little treat.
• Tomo-choco – Typically expensive and elaborate chocolate gifted between female
friends, and enjoyed away from the men!
• Gyaku-choco – Gyaku-choco is given to a woman by a man and means ‘reverse
chocolate’. It is an uncommon gift on Valentine’s Day, as mehonmei choco
• n are traditionally expected to reciprocate Valentine’s gifts a month later, on White Day.
 Differences
Differences are:
• In Georgia is 2 days of love in Japan 1
• Japanese women are expected to gift chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
• They need to gift chocolate depending on the kind of relationship they have with
their valentines.