Feeling extra sweet this year?
It's almost time for the annual Midwest-started holiday, Sweetest Day, a chance to let the people in your life know that you appreciate them.
Here's what to know about the upcoming holiday.
When is Sweetest Day 2021?
The annual holiday is celebrated on the third Saturday in October, touted as a way to share romantic deeds, expressions, acts of charity and kindness.
This year, it's on Oct. 16.
How did Sweetest Day get started?
According to National Today, Sweetest Day was first celebrated in Cleveland in 1922, where multiple candy companies distributed more than 20,000 boxes of candy to the city's vulnerable, including "newsboys, orphans, old folks and the poor."
Eventually, the idea spread, from Cleveland to the rest of Ohio and a few other states.
Hallmark also attributes Sweetest Day's start to Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland candy company employee "who wanted to bring happiness to the lives of those who often were forgotten."
"In the early 1930s, movie stars got into the act. Ann Pennington distributed candy to 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys, and Theda Bara gave candy to theater-goers and patients in Cleveland hospitals," Hallmark's website says.
In 1937, the National Confectioners Association launched a movement to rank Sweetest Day with other nationally accepted holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day, but the effort fell flat.
Is Sweetest Day an actual holiday?
No, the day is not federally recognized but is observed by people in states and regions around the U.S.
Do all states celebrate Sweetest Day?
In the U.S., Sweetest Day is mostly celebrated in the Midwest, parts of the Northeast and Florida. It's most popular in Cleveland and Detroit.
Is Sweetest Day just for men?
The holiday is not aimed specifically toward any gender, as it was started to give chocolate and sweets to the vulnerable in the city.
Now, it's seen as a chance to express love or admiration for the people in your life, whether it's family, friends, romantic partners or others.
What is the difference between Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day?
Sweetest Day is in October and can express love or appreciation toward anyone, while Valentine's Day is Feb. 14 and is typically seen as more of a celebration of romantic love.
What to give for Sweetest Day
Like Valentine's Day, you can give loved ones in your life chocolates, candies or cards but the holiday has an added emphasis to helping other in need, either with material gifts or through moral support.
Thanks to marketing from candy manufacturers, it's common to give candy or chocolates in celebration of Sweetest Day.
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