Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

Today in Canada is Remembrance Day.  A holiday to remember the heroes who fought in World War II.  The day is celebrated because on the 11th month on the 11th day at the 11th hour the war was ended.  People will gather at war memorials across the country to remember those who lost their lives in battle.  Lest we forget.  The weather is usually cold and dreary and people will still bundle up and shiver outdoors for a ceremony that generally lasts about an hour.

In Korea there are no memorial services to attend.  No poppies to wear.  Instead we will celebrate Pepero Day.  Pepero day is similar to Valentine’s day.  Couples will exchange long, slender cookies because the four sticks resemble 11.11.  There are a couple of different theories on the origin of Pepero day.  One theory is that the Lotte stores invented the day to boost sales of the Pepero sticks.  Another theory is that middle school girls started exchanging the cookies to wish for each other that they would grow tall and slender like the sticks.  Another confusion is that the day might be a former farmer’s holiday that represents the image of slender rice stalks.  Generally Koreans don’t seem to know why they celebrate Pepero day.

The only real similarity between the two days is the weather.  Today in our area of Korea the weather is unusually cold and windy.  For us it is fitting for Remembrance Day.  We will exchange our Pepero sticks and remember the veterans from afar.