By Kwon E-youn
Chocolate is not what guys want to receive on Valentine’s Day
What guys want to receive is quite different from what their girlfriends are going to present them as gifts for Valentine’s Day this year, it was revealed in a survey.
As many as 31 percent of men want to receive tablet PCs, such as iPads or Galaxy Tabs, whereas 25 percent of women are going to give wallets or money clips _ a simple wallet to store cash and credit cards in a very compact fashion _ as gifts on Valentine’s Day falling on Feb. 14.
This was part of the outcome of the survey conducted by Shinsegae Department Store on 820 people in their 20s to 40s over Valentine’s Day gifts this year on its Shinsegae Mall website on Feb. 12.
Men also wanted docking speakers for their iPhones _ a device which amplifies sound from the digital devices _ chosen by 22 percent of the respondents, followed by clothing and shoes with 17 percent, cash or gift certificates with 15 percent and watches with 12 percent. Chocolate, known to be the traditional gift for Valentine’s Day, was not on the men’s wish list.
Following wallets on the list of gifts women are willing to give to their boyfriends were chocolate with 22 percent, cases for smart phones with 19 percent, clothing and shoes with 15 percent and accessories with 13 percent.
Valentine's Day was created in the early Roman Catholic era to honor Christian martyr, Saint Valentine, on Feb. 14.
But, the day later became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards. These days, women give chocolate as Valentine’s Day gift to their male partners.
Merchants in Asia introduced White Day falling on March 14, as a counterpart to Valentine’s Day, when could answer the gifts they received one month before.