Pepero Day

Happy Pepero day!

In Korea, November 11th is the official Pepero day.

What is Pepero?
Pepero, also known as Pocky, is a long and skinny biscuit stick covered in chocolate. Although what it is best known for is the milk chocolate coating, Pepero also comes in a variety of flavors including strawberry and coffee. There's even a "nude" version of this snack, where the pretzel stick is filled with chocolate instead of coated. This simple snack is also super easy to make at home and stores even sell DIY Pepero kits!

Why is it called Pepero Day?
Since these snacks only come in the long stick form, Koreans have converted November 11th as Pepero day, the 1s resembling a stick of Pepero. Can you imagine how big this holiday must have been last year?

Who can celebrate this day?
Unlike some of the special days people have created over the years, Pepero day can be celebrated by anyone and everyone. It's not just limited to couples, it's also for family, friends, students, and teachers. Bakeries, supermarkets, and convenience stores take advantage of this day and set up big displays in their stores.

 

Pepero day this year fell on a Sunday, but I remember couple of years ago when it fell on a weekday, I went through an overload of this snack. Even after sharing with my students, I still ended up with a huge grocery bag full of Peperos given by students and other teachers. 

Korea is full of fun days like this one. March 14th is "White Day" when boys buy girls chocolates. April 14th is "Black Day" when single people eat Jjajangmyun (black bean noodles). I actually found out that there is a day dedicated to relationships on the 14th of every month of the year.