An Amusing Alternative to a Time-Honored Tradition

As winter’s harsh hand begins to recede, the returning birdsongs and the delicate, blossoming flowers inspire the romantic festivities surrounding Valentine’s Day. A holiday dedicated to the lovestruck, revelers typically celebrate Valentine’s Day by exchanging extravagant bouquets and decadent treats with their sweethearts. However, for currently unattached folks, this day possesses the potential of disaster. This dilemma prompted singles in South Korea to establish a maverick merrymaking tradition, Black Day. Every year on April 14, the battered victims of a less-than-ideal Valentine’s Day congregate together to share their sorrows. Like mourners at a memorial service, participants wear only black clothing. Once assembled the distraught singles devour copious quantities of a Korean noodle dish called jjajang myeon; this fare, fittingly, is black in color. The unorthodox holiday, though trivial it may seem, reportedly proves helpful in relieving heartache. Should Valentine’s Day find you sans-significant-other, take the exciting opportunity explore this exotic celebration!