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Annual observance in South Korea
Pepero Day
is held annually on
November 11
, and is an observance in
South Korea
similar to
Valentine's Day
. It is the biggest annual day-marketing event in South Korea, and involves the gifting or exchange of
Pepero
snacks, a line of
chocolate
-dipped
cookie
sticks, with the intention of displaying affection for friends and loved ones. It is held on this day due to the resemblance of Pepero sticks to the shortened date of 11/11.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
The exact origins of this day are unknown.
[2]
The origins are usually traced to a news story set in 1983. In the story, two female
middle school
students in the
Yeongnam
region exchanged Pepero wishing that they would both become tall and thin.
[3]
However, there is some doubt about this story.
[4]
Some argue that the origin was due to the shape of 1's in the date (November 11 ? 11/11) resembling Pepero sticks,
[2]
while some others attribute the similarity of shapes as factors that attributed to the popularity but not its origin.
[3]
[4]
The fad spread with the idea that, for maximum effectiveness for height and thinness, one must eat 11 packets of Pepero on November 11, 11:11
am and 11:11
pm at 11 seconds exactly. From 1997,
Lotte
started to use the aforementioned school story to successfully promote Pepero Day. The trend led to other companies creating similarly shaped snacks to participate on Pepero Day.
[3]
As of 2012
[update]
,
Lotte
was making 50% of its annual sales on Pepero Day.
[4]
As of 2013
[update]
, several
department stores
including
Hyundai Department Store
,
Shinsegae
, and
Lotte Department Store
were benefiting for people celebrating the day while stores such as
E-mart
and
Homeplus
were specially displaying and selling peperos on the day.
[5]
Controversy
[
edit
]
Pepero Day has been criticized as a business tool and marketing strategy of certain companies, as well as for promoting unhealthy,
fattening
food that contradicts its original meaning (about becoming tall and thin). In addition, some say the day is an insult to hardworking farmers as
Farmers' Day
, enacted in Korea in 1996 to promote farming, also falls on November 11.
Thus the alternative "Garaetteok Day" has been proposed to promote the exchange of
garaetteok
(sticks of white
tteok
, a type of Korean
rice cake
, which unlike pepero are commonly made and sold by smaller businesses).
[3]
[6]
[7]
[8]
See also
[
edit
]
- Pocky & Pretz Day
? a similar celebration in Japan, also held on 11 November
- Singles' Day
? a somewhat similar celebration in China, also held on 11 November
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Pepero Day: Eight things you should know"
.
The Korea Times
. 2014-11-11
. Retrieved
2018-10-30
.
- ^
a
b
Imatome-Yun, Naomi.
"November 11th is Pepero Day"
. About.com. Archived from
the original
on November 11, 2013
. Retrieved
November 11,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
빼빼로데이
[Pepero Day] (in Korean). Parkmungak
. Retrieved
November 11,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
Gale, Alastair (November 11, 2013).
"On Pepero Day, a Japanese Rival Lurks"
.
The Wall Street Journal
. Dow Jones & Company
. Retrieved
November 11,
2013
.
- ^
"[SS現場] '빼빼로 데이' 一部 消費者 "過消費 助長"…롯데마트 "안 사면 그만"
"
(in Korean). Sportsseoul.com. November 11, 2013. Archived from
the original
on 2013-11-11
. Retrieved
November 11,
2013
.
- ^
"빼빼로데이"
.
terms.naver.com
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2021-04-24
.
- ^
兆, 恩情 (November 11, 2008).
"[TV]
빼빼로 데이
얄팍한 商術"
.
No Cut News
. South Korea
. Retrieved
April 24,
2021
.
- ^
金, 同綴 (November 11, 2005).
"
"農事꾼은 빼빼로 菓子보다 못한 存在"
"
.
새全北新聞
. South Korea
. Retrieved
April 24,
2021
.