Here in Korea the kids don’t celebrate Halloween. It’s sad I know. They do, however, have another day on which they can ingest copious amounts of free candy. That day is today, and it’s Pepero Day to be exact.
Now, Halloween is a celebration based on old Pagan harvest ceremonies mixed with a bit of Christian saint worship but is now owned by consumer capitalists. It’s about dressing up as your favourite company mascot and collecting the big name sweets. I love it, you love it, it’s awesome but it’s become a shallow shadow of it’s former self.
Pepero day is quite the opposite really, but let me explain to you what a Pepero is, this won’t take long. It’s a round, elongated biscuit dipped in chocolate. They were inspired by the Japanese snack, Pocky [which is identical] and introduced to Koreans in 1983. Yes, they have a day to celebrate one specific sweet treat. So you’d think this was some shameless marketing ploy, same as Halloween has become right?
Well, ya, sort of. The nice thing about Pepero day is that some people spend the night before hand with their families MAKING their own special Pepero’s for their close friends. Most people buy them but the major difference is that Pepero’s are a symbol of love. Kids bring them to school and hand them out to friends, family, and teachers. It’s sort of like Valentines day but without the cards or implications.
It’s a really wholesome day for celebrating love and the existence of a snack so simple it was probably created out of desperation [so good though]. I got a good haul this year, so much for that whole ‘I’m off sugar’ thing I start every week.
Enjoy the Pepero!
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