Sweetest Day is a holiday that is celebrated in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, in parts of the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

, in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

on the third Saturday in October. It is a day to share romantic deeds or expressions, and acts of charity and kindness. Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "

Hallmark holiday In the United States (and elsewhere), a Hallmark holiday is a holiday that is perceived to exist primarily for commercial purposes rather than to commemorate a traditionally or historically significant event. Background The name comes from Hallma ...

" or a "concocted promotion" created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of sweets.''The Cleveland Plain Dealer'', October 15, 2005.

Origin

Candymakers Who Founded Sweetest Day in Cleveland

The first Sweetest Day was observed on October 10, 1921, in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. The Cleveland '' Plain Dealer's'' edition of October 8, 1922, 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 Cleveland. 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 Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

and Ann Pennington. There were also several attempts to start a "Sweetest Day" in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, including a declaration of a Candy Day throughout the United States by candy manufacturers on October 8, 1922.''The New York Times'', October 8, 1922. 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.''''The New York Times'', October 10, 1927. On September 25, 1937, ''The New York Times'' reported under ''Advertising News and Notes'' that The

National Confectioners Association The National Confectioners Association is an American trade organization that promotes chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and the companies that make these treats. NCA lobbies the American government in favor of the confectionery industry, evaluate ...

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.''The New York Times'', September 25, 1937. 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.''''The New York Times'', October 18, 1940. 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. 600 boxes of candy were also delivered to the presidents of the Jewish, Protestant and Catholic Big Sister groups of New York.

Regional importance

Retail Confectioners International describes the observance as "much more important for candymakers in some regions than in others (

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and

being the biggest Sweetest Day cities)".Sweetest Day
, ''retailerconfectioners.org''. Retrieved on February 21, 2007. The popularity in Detroit was greatly perpetuated by the Sanders Candy Company. Frederick Sanders was a large promoter of the holiday. In 2006,

Hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...

marketed 151 greeting card designs for Sweetest Day.

American Greetings American Greetings Corporation is a privately held American company and is the world's second largest greeting card producer behind Hallmark Cards. Based in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, the company sells paper greeting ...

marketed 178. Sweetest Day observance is still most prevalent in the Great Lakes region, where the holiday originated, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. According to

, "the once-regional celebration of Sweetest Day has spread throughout the country." In addition to those states where it is "most prevalent", Sweetest Day is celebrated by communities in Arizona, California, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia, bringing the total to 17 states.

Criticism

Since Sweetest Day was invented by commercial interests which stood to profit from such a holiday, critics refer to it as a "

" (although it was not invented by the

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...

company).

References

External links

Survey of 1,000 Americans on Sweetest Day Confectionaries Sweetest Day
{{Authority control Recurring events established in 1921 Culture of the Midwestern United States Public holidays in the United States Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month) October observances Saturday observances Days celebrating love

Origin

Regional importance

Criticism

References

Further reading

External links