Pepero day : The unique holiday of Pepero snack in Korea
200903450 French/EIT
Hyein Jin
Relationship means a lot in South Korea. There are approximately twenty holidays devoted to celebrate one's affections toward family, friends and lovers. We generally place great importance on the special days to appreciate someone we love and express our feeling. The 14th of each month is usually dotted on Korean Calendar as a special day. However, in November, 11th is also set aside for sweethearts. It is called Pepero day.
Pepero day is named after a particular brand of snack 'Pepero'. It is a stick-shaped and crunchy snack with a thin coating of chocolate. There are all kinds of Pepero - Pepero dipped in white chocolate, or Pepero covered with almond or dried fruit flakes. The day is for exchanging Pepero with as many family members, friends, beloveds and even for acquaintances who are willing to accept it. This day is especially popular among kids and teens, and sometimes among people in their twenties. A lot of children feel isolated and left behind when they couldn't get enough Pepero as much as they expect.
Pepero originated from Busan, the second largest city of South Korea. There are two different stories about how Pepero day founded. First, some teenage girls began to exchange Pepero snack in 11th of November, wishing they can get in shape as slender as a Pepero snack. Second, It is more commonly believed that the first manufacturer of Pepero, Lotte Confectionery Co., Ltd., had strategically spread out the custom as a part of their marketing. In any case, it is widely accepted now and becomes national tradition since 1994.
Why is 11th chosen for Pepero day? It is because that November 11 resembles long and thin Pepero sticks when the date is written in Korean way as 11/11. It is interesting that some of them are from our neighbors like Japan and China, but Pepero day is established only in Korea. Japanese and Chinese people have snacks similar to Pepero, but they don't celebrate the 11th of November at all. From one month before the Pepero day, convenient stores and supermarkets are full of various Pepero products. We can easily see children are deep in thought in front of huge Pepero gift sets thinking how many they have to buy in Pepero day.
Pepero day is already a particular and national holiday of Korea. However, we have to be cautious that this day is celebrated as a part of a company. Children do not have to be depressed when they could not get enough. Boys does not have to prepare a huge size of basket for his girlfriend. All we have to do in that day is thinking about our valuable people one more time as a part of this joyful celebration.
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