Revision as of 18:52, 17 October 2005
Sweetest Day is a pseudo-holiday primarily celebrated 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.
This holiday is more well-known in the Northeast, but seems to be making a resurgence as retailers try to capitalize on it -- trying to make another Valentine's Day.
In 2005 Sweetest Day is Saturday, October 15.