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Sweetest Day

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Sweetest Day
Observed byMostly Midwest United States
CelebrationsRemembering friends and loved ones, buying cards and candy
DateThird Saturday in October

Sweetest Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast United States[1] (with Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities[2] ) on the third Saturday in October. It is described by Retail Confectioners International as an "occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed."[3] Critics call Sweetest Day an artificial holiday created solely to boost the revenues of candy and greeting card companies.[citation needed]

Origin of Sweetest Day

File:10,000 CHEERED BY CANDY GIFTS.jpg
10,000 Cheered By Candy Gifts on Cleveland's First Sweetest Day (October 8, 1921)

The origin of Sweetest day is frequently attributed to candy store employee Herbert Birch Kingston[4]. According to an article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper from October 8, 1921, the first Sweetest day took place on October 8, 1921 and was planned by a committee of 12 confectioners, who distributed 19,500 boxes of candy to newsboys, homeless people, orphans, and others who had fallen on hard times in Cleveland, Ohio. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee was assisted in the distribution of candy by some of the biggest movie stars of the day including Theda Bara and Anne Pennington.[citation needed] This tradition now largely involve giving small presents such as greeting cards, candy, and flowers, to loved ones.

The first Sweetest Day planning committee consisted of:

  • C.R. Canter
  • A.E. Barton
  • R.T. Fuller
  • J.J. Wilsdon
  • R.H. Sheehan
  • W.A. Katzenmeyer
  • A.A. Sarouch
  • Louis Hahn
  • W.J. Nichols
  • L. Narwood
  • L.E. Gruber


While it is not as large or widely observed as Valentine's Day, it is still a popular event celebrated in parts of the United States, despite persistent allegations of being a Hallmark holiday.


File:12 Founders of Sweetest Day 2.JPEG
The 12 Candymakers Who Were on the first Sweetest Day Committee

References

  1. ^ www.netglimse.com/holidays/sweetest_day/origins_and_facts_about_sweetest_day.shtml
  2. ^ http://www.retailconfectioners.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=60196&module_id=3418
  3. ^ http://www.retailconfectioners.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=60196&module_id=3418
  4. ^ http://www.theromantic.com/sweetestday.htm
  • The Cleveland Plain Dealer October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922.

Further reading

  • Maud Lavin, ed. (2004-10-04). The Business of Holidays. Monacelli. ISBN 1580931502. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  • Leigh Eric Schmidt (1995-09-01). Consumer rites : the buying & selling of American holidays. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691029806. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  • Bennett Madison and James Dignan (2002-12-28). I Hate Valentine's Day. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. ISBN 0689873727. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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