Happy Valentine’s Day
February 14th is Valentine’s Day. Why do we celebrate this day?
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius got so angry and Valentine was put to death.
He fell in love with a young blind girl while in prison. He sent a letter to the girl and he signed “From your Valentine” in the letter before he died. After she read the letter, she recovered her eyesight. She and her family expressed their most heartfelt thanks to Valentine and converted to Christianity. People think this story is romantic and Valentine was a heroic person. It is widely thought that the letter Valentine sent is a representation of the power of love.
In Japan, White Day is March 14th. Men who was given chocolates by women on Valentine’s day give something back on that day. However, I was surprised that there is also Orange Day. Orange Day is April 14th. On Orange Day, one visits his or her partner with an orange present. The day is called Black Day in South Korea.
- _RId » Blog Archive » Orange Day pingbacked on 3 years, 8 months ago
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Where did you get that story about Orange Day being on 14 April? Orange Day is a traditional Irish festival celebrated by the Protestant minority and takes place on July 12. That said, it means different things to different people, apparently.
I found Valentine’s Eve and V Day very, very funny — they’re by an anonymous waiter who runs a blog and writes about his job. Valentine’s Day is usually pretty stressful for waiters, but this year the guy was lucky, it seems.
Posted 3 years, 9 months agoI got that story from Valentine’s anecs which is a Japanese page. It says that Orange Day is a kind of bussiness practice which capitalizes on Valentine’s Day in Japan like White Day. So I didn’t know neither that Orange Day is a Irish festival nor when it takes place.
I read the writter’s blog. It made me lough and gave me a new impression of waiters on Valentine’s Day. I found they are much busier than my imagination.
I will memorize the phrase “Happy Valenswine’s Day!�.
Posted 3 years, 9 months agoIt occurred to me after linking to the Waiter posts that you’d need to be familiar with the practice of “tipping” to understand the stories. In many Western countries, including the US, waiters expect to get a “tip”, i.e. extra money that they can keep for themselves and don’t have to hand over to the restaurant that employs them.
As a customer at a restaurant, you don’t pay at a cash register when you leave the premises after a meal; you pay at the table, handing the waitstaff the money. If you’re happy with the service you received from the waitstaff, you’re expected to add about 10% on top of the bill. That’s called a “tip”.
In the Valentine’s Day part, the waiter receives a 30% tip, which is pretty extraordinary and means that the customers were very, very happy with his service.
Posted 3 years, 9 months agoI know the “tipping” custom. When I went to Thailand, I tipped taxi drivers, hotel clerks who changed my sheet and waiters. In some restaurants, I didn’t heve to pay a tip because the restaurants came from abroad.
I think I also paid about a 10% or 20% tip. So I could understand why the waiter’s case is not usual and that it is difficult to recieve a 30 tip. I want to be satisfied with waiters’ service in restaurants as I feel like paying a tip in Japan.
Posted 3 years, 9 months agoAh, great!
The Japanese system is so much easier and should be introduced in the rest of the world.
Posted 3 years, 9 months ago