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| '''Sweetest Day''' is a ] celebrated primarily in the ] ] states of ], ], ] and ]. It is celebrated on the third Saturday in the month of October. | |||
| {{Infobox Holiday | | |||
| |holiday_name=Sweetest Day | |||
| |type=Local | |||
| |observedby=Mostly ] | |||
| |date=Third Saturday in October | |||
| |date2006=] | |||
| |celebrations=Remembering friends and loved ones, buying cards and candy | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Sweetest Day''' is an ] celebrated primarily in the ] and parts of the Northeast United States on the third Saturday in ]<ref></ref>. It is described by Retail Confectioners International, as "much more important for candymakers in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities)" and 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."<ref name="rci"></ref> Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted ]"<ref>''The Cleveland Plain Dealer'' October 15, 2005</ref> created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of candy. Persistent claims have also been made that Sweetest Day was manufactured by the ] Company or ] in order to boost sales. | |||
| The holiday is said to have begun in the city of ], ] in ]. During America's ], candy store employee Herbert Birch Kingston put together a group of citizens to provide small gifts to homeless people, orphans, and others who had fallen on hard times. This tradition now seems to largely involve giving small presents, such as cards, candy and flowers, to family, friends, and lovers. | |||
| ==Origin== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| The origin of Sweetest Day is frequently attributed to candy company employee Herbert Birch Kingston as an act of philanthropy.<ref> at theromantic.com</ref> However, Bill Lubinger, a reporter for '']'', contends that "Dozens of Cleveland's top candy makers concocted the promotion 84 years ago and it stuck, although it never became as widely accepted as hoped."<ref>''The Cleveland Plain Dealer'' October 15, 2005</ref> ''The Cleveland Plain Dealer's'' ], ] edition, which chronicles the first Sweetest Day in Cleveland, states that the first Sweetest Day was planned by a committee of 12 confectioners chaired by candymaker C. C. Hartzell. ''The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee'' distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to "newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor" in ]<ref>''The Cleveland Plain Dealer'' October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922</ref>. 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 ] and ].<ref>''The Cleveland Plain Dealer'' October 8, 1921 and October 8, 1922</ref> | |||
| With ] and ] firmly established, proposals for other holidays began to pour forth from all quarters. A waggish correspondent to the New York Times argued in 1914, his tongue firmly in his cheek, for the establishment of Maiden Aunty's Day, Household Pet Day, and Slush Day. Two years later, the National Confectioners' Association quite seriously suggested the creation of Candy Day, to be celebrated the second Sunday of October by, naturally enough, giving gifts of candy. But folks simply didn't take to Candy Day, and by 1923 the confectioners were forced to admit that the public, while gullible, indeed had its limits. "Are enthusiastic over a holiday that has for its avowed purpose the sale of candy?" asked the trade journal Candy Factory. Its answer, a classic of understatement, was "we are inclined to think ... they are not." But the Confectioners' Association did not give up easily. It merely renamed the would-be holiday Sweetest Day, moved it to the third Saturday in October, and continued its promotion. Though it didn't turn into a cash cow of ] proportions, it is still a profitable industry event celebrated in parts of the United States, despite persistent allegations of being a ]. | |||
| There were also several attempts to start a "Sweetest Day" in New York City, including a declaration of a Candy Day throughout the United States by candy manufacturers on October 8, 1922.<ref name="nyt22">''The New York Times'' October Oct 8, 1922</ref> In 1927, ''The New York Times'' reported that "the powers that determine the nomenclature of the weeks of October" decreed that the week beginning on October 10, 1927 would be known as ''Sweetest Week.''<ref name="nyt27">''The New York Times'' October 10, 1927</ref> On September 25, 1937, ''The New York Times'' reported under ''Advertising News and Notes'' that ''The ]'' had launched a "movement throughout the candy industry" to rank Sweetest Day with the nationally accepted Mother's Day, Father's Day, and St. Valentine's Day.<ref name="nyt37">''The New York Times'' September 25, 1937</ref> In 1940, another Sweetest Day was proclaimed on October 19. The promotional event was marked by the distribution of more than 10,000 boxes of candy by the ''Sweetest Day Committee.''<ref name="nyt40">''The New York Times,'' October 18, 1940</ref> The candy was distributed among 26 local charities. 225 children were given candy in the chapel at the ''Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children'' on October 17, 1940.<ref name="nyt40"/> 600 boxes of candy were also delivered to the presidents of the Jewish, Protestant and Catholic Big Sister groups of New York.<ref name="nyt40"/> | |||
| In 2005 Sweetest Day was Saturday, ]. | |||
| == Today == | |||
| In 2006 Sweetest Day will be Saturday, ]. | |||
| Sweetest Day now largely involves giving small presents such as greeting cards, candy, and flowers to loved ones. While it is not as large or widely observed as ], it is still celebrated in parts of the United States, despite persistent allegations of being a "]." <ref> ]</ref> In 2006, Hallmark marketed 151 greeting card designs for Sweetest Day. American Greetings marketed 178.<ref name= "MVN"></ref> | |||
| == |
==External links== | ||
| * | |||
| <references/> | |||
| == Further reading == | |||
| * {{cite book|title=The Business of Holidays|editor=Maud Lavin|publisher=Monacelli|date=]|id=ISBN 1580931502}} | |||
| *{{cite journal|title=Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays|author=Scott C. Martin|journal=Journal of Social History|volume=31|date=1997}} | |||
| * {{cite book|title=I Hate Valentine's Day|author=Bennett Madison and James Dignan|publisher=Simon Spotlight Entertainment|date=]|id=ISBN 0689873727}} | |||
| == External links == | |||
| * {{cite web|url=http://www.theromantic.com/sweetestday.htm History of Sweetest Day|title=Origins and Facts About Sweetest Day|author=Michael Webb|publisher=TheRomantic.com}} | |||
| * | |||
| * {{cite web|url=http://pressroom.americangreetings.com/archives/fall04/sweetestday04.html|title=Sweetest Day was born from one man’s kindness…not in the laboratory of a greeting card company|publisher=American Greetings Corporation|date=August 2004}} | |||
| * {{cite web|url=http://pressroom.hallmark.com/sweetest_day.html|title=Sweetest Day 2005|publisher=]|date=September 2005}} | |||
| * | |||
| {{HallmarkHoliday}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 20:41, 29 November 2006
Sweetest Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the Midwestern U.S. states of Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. It is celebrated on the third Saturday in the month of October.
The holiday is said to have begun in the city of Cleveland, Ohio in 1922. During America's Great Depression, candy store employee Herbert Birch Kingston put together a group of citizens to provide small gifts to homeless people, orphans, and others who had fallen on hard times. This tradition now seems to largely involve giving small presents, such as cards, candy and flowers, to family, friends, and lovers.
With Mother's Day and Father's Day firmly established, proposals for other holidays began to pour forth from all quarters. A waggish correspondent to the New York Times argued in 1914, his tongue firmly in his cheek, for the establishment of Maiden Aunty's Day, Household Pet Day, and Slush Day. Two years later, the National Confectioners' Association quite seriously suggested the creation of Candy Day, to be celebrated the second Sunday of October by, naturally enough, giving gifts of candy. But folks simply didn't take to Candy Day, and by 1923 the confectioners were forced to admit that the public, while gullible, indeed had its limits. "Are enthusiastic over a holiday that has for its avowed purpose the sale of candy?" asked the trade journal Candy Factory. Its answer, a classic of understatement, was "we are inclined to think ... they are not." But the Confectioners' Association did not give up easily. It merely renamed the would-be holiday Sweetest Day, moved it to the third Saturday in October, and continued its promotion. Though it didn't turn into a cash cow of Valentine's Day proportions, it is still a profitable industry event celebrated in parts of the United States, despite persistent allegations of being a Hallmark holiday.
In 2005 Sweetest Day was Saturday, October 15.
In 2006 Sweetest Day will be Saturday, October 21.