It happened in one of the many bubble tea shops in the city. My date and I had just had dinner at the Korean place down the street, and now we were enjoying a refreshing dose of bubble tea.
"Look around you," she said, "do you notice anything different than usual?"
"Hmmm?" I replied, head tilted and confused, "I don't see anything strange."
"Keep looking."
"Perhaps—Oh, everyone here is—"
"A couple," she concluded, "that's because it's Chinese Valentine's Day. The 14th of every month is another Valentine's Day."
After some research it seems that Chinese Valentine's Day is something else entirely, an event celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. However, it is true that every 14th of the month is special. It's all part of an intricate courting and dating "schedule". I am here to explore this interesting artefact of culture with all of you.
"And yes, there might be a poem or some form of 'elegant prose' at the end."
January 14th - Diary Day
For every relationship you get into, you can always count on making memories with the other participant. Whether they be lovely, pleasant, hurtful, erotic, aggravating, or hilarious memories, you will have some in the bag if you put effort into the relationship. So on this day, why not give your significant other a journal so they can record all of the memorable moments they've shared with you.
February 14th - Valentine's Day
The term secret admirer is key to this day. For most of us, it is the day of expressing love! However, in the context of our calendar of dating 14th's, the month of February is where you confess your love to the one you secretly like. This usually comes in the form of a gift, hence the tradition of giving chocolates or cookies. However, as a secret admirer, you should not expect a clear cut response immediately.
March 14th - White Day
If you were the recipient of a gift on Valentine's Day, then your time is up. You need to make a decision and tell your secret admirer whether you reciprocate their affection. In some cultures this means giving a gift back to your secret admirer. In our modern world, I'd say a simple "yes" or "no" would suffice. However, make sure you adhere to this deadline, and give your response within one month of Valentine's Day... Don't wait a whole year to respond (cough-inconspicuous-call-out-cough).
April 14th - Black Day
If White Day was all about couples finally getting together, then Black Day is sure to be the opposite. That is somewhat the case, as Black Day is the day for all the single people to gather and have fun together. It would seem that in our modern society, the hater-slash-losers of Valentine's Day would perform this activity in the month of February itself. My advice, don't be negative on Valentine's Day. Instead be positive on Black Day!
May 14th - Yellow and Rose Day
Wearing yellow is basically putting up a big billboard saying, "I'm single and ready to mingle". In a more elegant sense, if you were wondering if someone else had confessed to your crush on Valentine's Day, and if she had responded in your favour, then Yellow and Rose Day is the day to be sure. The public display of availability is your second chance to confess your love. Just whip out a red rose and she'll get the message. A word of caution, presenting a yellow rose means, "we are never seeing each other again".
June 14th - Kiss Day
It's fairly straightforward. Kiss the girl—Or guy; we live in a society where girls should be able to initiate whatever they want without seeming easy or thirsty. If you're both somewhat aware of this cultural assortment of 14th's then the kissing part might be expected. Use this moment to show her how far your love goes. For everyone else, beware of numerous public displays of affection.
July 14th - Silver Day
This is the day you meet the parents. Both of the participants of the relationship are meant to introduce the other to their respective parents. Did I write that out correctly? Never mind, you get the point. This could quite possibly be the scariest day in our courting calendar. However, if you can't get along with their parents, then how are you supposed to have fun on Chinese New Year, or Christmas?
August 14th - Green Day
On Green Day, you take your significant other to a rock concert where a band of angsty and emotional males sing about life. I'm just kidding, but Green Day is centred on a specific type of date. You need to go and experience nature together as a couple. Go for a hike; enjoy the nearest beach or lake; or maybe get physical with some rock climbing. Be creative and find a way to integrate nature and the green into your awesome day out.
September 14th - Music and Photo Day
I will be honest with you. I am not completely sure what you do on this 14th. Apparently this is a day where you get really sociable with your friends. The only difference is that you're doing this as a couple. Common ways friends have fun is dancing or singing. Personally I'd prefer a Board Games and Cards Day, but I didn't make this stuff up. At least we can all get the photo part down. SELFIE!
October 14th - Wine Day
Wine is pretty pretentious and fancy, and today is the day you get all pretentious and fancy. Enjoy a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant, drink some wine, and have a good time. Sure you can be romantic at home, but keep it classy and serve a good wine to complement that steak you somehow put together. The couples don't hog all the fun though. Single people can enjoy a glass of wine too, as they make their sorrows their liver's problem.
November 14th - Orange and Movie Day
Now this is my kind of 14th of the month. Make an event out of going to the cinema and enjoy a movie with your significant other. On the same day, be sure to eat an orange. I have a love hate relationship with oranges. I have experienced some of the most beautiful and sweetest oranges, but I have also had to endure many sour bundles of torture. I guess they're the perfect metaphor for a relationship.
"Through thick and thin,
sweet and sour,
you and I
still love each other."
December 14th - Hug Day
All this talk about love and courting is making me feel sorta warm and fuzzy. On Hug Day, make your boyfriend, or girlfriend, feel warm inside by giving them a hug. I am pretty sure the people making these days up had started running out of ideas by this point, but I guess it is a nice way to round of the year. The best part is, single people can hug and it doesn't have to be weird. Right?
Well thank you for sticking with me through that bundle of text. Unfortunately, this post is long enough without me needing to add a full fledged poem to it. I'll be sure to upload the one I wanted to post sooner or later.
All the facts or stories conveyed in the post should be taken with a grain of salt. I may not have researched each of the days to a culturally accurate degree. Similarly, I usually like to retell my memories with a little editing for entertainment purposes. It also helps that you don't know what actually happened in my personal life.
Anyway, have fun this Valentine's Day! My suggestion is to go and watch Deadpool. If you've learnt something new from my post, or have a correction to any one of my facts, or simply just want to say something cool, please let me know in the comments!
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