After Valentine's Day and White Day, the April 14 Singles celebrate in Korea! The Black day started out as a self-pity party for people who aren't coupled up. You can celebrate alone or together with all your other single friends. Black Day is also a commercial holiday, focused on advertising the sale of useful items and services for single people to purchase for themselves.
What do you do during this party?
People dress in black and eat foods of the same color. In fact the dish that is eaten on this occasion are the jjajangmyeon, which are precisely black because they are noodles seasoned with a black bean-based sauce. Often, during this day, competitions are organized to see who can eat the most jjajangmyeon.
But why was this dish chosen?
Surely the main reason is because the color of this food recalls the name of the event. And also because jjajangmyeon are often considered comfort food, useful for lifting your spirits when you are sad. So it seems like the perfect food to recall the meaning of this holiday, that is, consoling yourself because you are single. Many finish the meal with other black-colored foods, such as dark chocolate cake.
The initial idea of consoling oneself has changed a lot over the years and, today, many are happy to be single, because being alone among many young people has lost its negative status. Even though in Korea there is a lot of pressure on the topic of engagement and marriage, which are seen as an obligatory step to feel fulfilled, little by little many young people choose to be single and are proud of it. It must also be said that, in reality, the party becomes an excuse to meet potential partners.
And are you single? Would you fly to Korea to celebrate this holiday?
Fabiana
Photo credit: depositphotos