Valentine’s Day traditions aren’t just for one day of the year in South Korea as couples celebrate different romantic traditions on the14th of each month. That’s correct, South Korea hosts romantic holidays 12 times annually with the following celebrations:
To kick off the first celebration of love for the year is Diary Day on January 14 with a tradition of exchanging a blank diary with their loved one. Lovers often write down sentiments for their significant other that also use the diary as a creative outlet for journaling.
South Korea reserved February 14 as the official Valentine’s Day that has similar traditions on Valentine’s Day with a twist as it’s common for women to buy men gifts like flowers or chocolates to express their love. If you think the ladies are left out, they have their own celebration in March.
Women might not get gifts in February for Valentine’s Day but have a day of celebration dedicated to them for White Day on March 14. The tradition for this holiday is an opportunity for men to reciprocate with a gift that they received on Valentine’s Day with more expensive gifts like jewelry, flowers, chocolates, and other gifts their partner will appreciate.
South Korea doesn’t single out single people with the celebration of Black Day on April 14. This holiday is for single people that aren’t in a relationship with the tradition of single people meeting up wearing black clothes. One tradition for this holiday is eating the Chinese Korean Dish called jajangmeyon made with dark soybean sauce, pork, and vegetables.
On May 14, South Koreans celebrate Yellow Day by exchanging primarily yellow or other colored roses with their loved ones that can be celebrated by couples, friends, and family. Couples traditionally spend quality time together at a café or restaurant.
One of the most favorite holidays for South Koreans falls on June 14 known as Kiss Day which is thought of as the best way to express deep love for each other. Couples celebrating with you guessed it, a loving kiss, that is a celebration for people who are deeply in love and is considered the best romantic day for couples.
Silver Day is celebrated on July 14 that symbolizes an engagement ceremony with lovers exchanging matching rings (similar to promise rings). The exchanging of the rings symbolizes the significant commitment to each other.
August 14 is the celebration of Green Day also known as Nature Day in which people enjoy the great outdoors with their close loved ones. This is another celebration that isn’t exclusive to couples only as families often get together with traditions of drinking soju, eating, and in some cases wearing green clothes.
Couples commemorate their relationship by celebrating Photo Day on September 14 with many couples taking selfies or visiting a photo studio that is a fun activity doing a memorable photoshoot. Every camera in South Korea is focused on shots of couples during this day with people visiting photobooths, getting photographed by a professional photographer, hosting a photoshoot party, and even creating photo props to be featured in the photos.
October 14 is a special occasion for adults as couples celebrate Wine Day with lovers and couples meeting to have a romantic wine party at local bars or public events. Wine Day is also celebrated by friends and family with a tradition of giving a warm hug to the closest family member on this day.
The timeless date night classic of getting dinner and movie is celebrated with its own Movie Day holiday on November 14 which is a favorite holiday for Koreans. People celebrate by meeting up to watch a movie at a local cinema or watching movies from home, don’t forget the popcorn.
The last month of the year is reserved for Hug Day on December 14 is a simple tradition of South Koreans sharing an embrace with their loved ones. This is another holiday that isn’t exclusive to couples only as single people can celebrate Hug Day by giving hugs to close friends and family.
