Americans have Valentine’s Day to express their love towards one another. In Korea, there are several days like Valentine’s. Pepero Day is one of them.
Pepero Day, sponsored by the Lotte corporation, is celebrated on Nov. 11 of each year. The repeated number one in the date 11/11 represents Peperos, chocolate-dipped cracker sticks first made by Lotte in 1983. Over the last three decades, Peperos have been made with numerous shapes, sizes and even flavors like walnut, white chocolate and melon.
Although Pepero Day has a more relaxed and less romantic feel to it than Valentine’s day or White Day, which is celebrated in Korea in March. It is particularly enjoyed by teenagers.
“[Pepero Day] is a day that is good for asking someone out,” said Gahee Kim of Korea’s Naejung Middle School in an interview with JSR. ”You can be creative and romantic at the same time.”