🍰 When is Sweetest Day 2024

Do you notice that tendency that Valentine’s Day becomes more about the girls and women? We mean that it’s somehow accepted as tradition, among the countries that celebrate – the fact that the men are ought to prepare gifts for their lovers while the other way around might not work.

It seems like America have dealt with that little discrepancy. At least, that’s one of the most widespread points of view on the holiday we’re going to talk about.

When is National Sweetest Day in 2024 and is it really about the women’s response to the men for the Feast of Saint Valentine? You’re just about to learn!

History

In fact, the event has noble motives in its foundations. The Sweetest Day was born in 1921 at the initiative of a mere candy fabric employee named Herbert Birch Kingston who came up with the idea of… helping the neglected and forgotten citizens of his native city Cleveland. He submitted his suggestion to the discussion of the fabric’s employees which were quick to establish the Committee responsible for fulfilling the plan. It consisted of twelve candy makers inspired to make the lives of those in orphanages, nursing homes and on the streets a tad sweeter.

The Committee organized a mass sharing of the boxes of candies (approximately, 20000!) out among the people who desperately needed support and care. The action received huge media attention and got onto the pages of the major newspaper in Ohio, announcing it to be the henceforth annual festivity of love for the near ones and candies.

The state of New York also got interested in this charity campaign, later proclaiming the Sweetest Week in 1927 and even forming a movement for granting the holiday the status equal to Mother’s Day or that of St. Valentine. Interestingly though, once the noble deed, with time it caught on as the commercial one, blaming the mighty capitalists for wringing money from the citizens.

Initially, the holiday was celebrated mainly in the regions of the US such as Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan. Yet during the ninety-five years of its existence, it spread on to the other territories, located in the north-east of the country.

When is International Sweetest Day 2024? Well, Americans do know when as the event is a big fuss every year!

Meaning

What does Sweetest Day mean? It means showing your deepest and sincerest love for the people you appreciate and for the candies at your kitchen. Okay, the first message is more important though the sweets can’t be forgotten on that occasion, too!

This festivity is the perfect reason (together with Valentine’s honoring) to express the romantic feelings and friendly affection. It goes that way that people are expected to give each other boxes of chocolates or the flowers. In short, they make presents of every embodiment of the sweet dainties as it is said that the real love is sweet as the chocolate!

What else does the love feel like? It gives us the feeling of the inner calmness that helps us be the witnesses of our thoughts and acts. It brings the stability and certainty in our lives and puts down the fears. It bestows us with the inner power and bravery necessary for looking in the eye of everything and everyone who scares us and for overcoming them. The love inspires us to seek out what we want, not letting us sink in the prejudices as if we don’t deserve it. Replete with that beautiful feeling, we see the life and all that happen to us through the soul – we see the opportunity to learn, to grow, to change and to develop.

Thanks to the strong affection, we get two things we most need. First, it urges our body to produce the oxytocin stimulating the following bursts of healthy hormones that provide the proper functioning of the immune system and reduce the cortisone – a stress hormone. Second, it gives us hope when the fear seizes our mind and body.

At the physical level, the love entails the specific electrochemical changes inside us, producing the surges of endorphins and neuro peptides that “tell” us everything is good. Those fellows enhance our immunity, improve the functions of the organs and glands, order the muscles to relax and pass the calm signal to the adrenals. On top of that, the feeling of love is equal to the huge dose of the painkillers. It holds back the pain receptors and the brain fails to focus on the physical suffering.

The holiday is often blamed for being the reason to fork out money of the grassroots for buying the flowers, candies, and chocolates – all for the pockets of the traders. Yet regardless of what day Sweetest Day in 2024 falls on, it’s always nice to receive the little (and material) signs of affection, isn’t it?

Definition

Perhaps, everyone gives sweets as a present when they want to cheer up the near and dear ones, children, elders, women… Why? Because it’s scientifically proved that the piece of chocolate is able to improve the mood in a second!

For one, the sweets are the pure enjoyment, for other – the sort of antidepressant, for another – the comfort food. And what are candies (sugar) for the health?

The sweet confectionery stimulates the thinking abilities and gives energy to the organism. It happens due to the arrival of glucose, fructose, and lactose which are the most digestible sources of vigorous activity. Plus they are quick to satisfy the hunger.

The decent amounts of serotonin – the hormone of happiness – cause the positive mood flowing all over our bodies. Besides, there are the certain health benefits of the sweet delicacies. Thus, the chocolate is rich in the antioxidants. Due to them, it protects the blood vessels from the damaging effect of the free radicals. The flavonoids improve the circulation of the blood and destroy thrombi which are the main factors of the cardiovascular diseases.

The much-loved ice cream is also an effective helper. First of all, there are lots of protein together with the calcium necessary for the strengthening the bone tissue and prevention of osteoporosis. So, it saves us on the sweltering days, feeds us with vitamins and provides the antioxidants! While the halva – made of the sunflower, peanuts or sesame seeds – bears the fairly good numbers of potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and iron.

What is the date of Sweetest Day 2024? It’s set annually on the third Saturday of October. For this year, it’s October 17.

Traditions

The holiday is not a public one so there are no any noisy festivals, street merrymakings, and performances. People just make declarations of love to each other, show their appreciation, tell compliments, and exchange the sweet dainties. Tradition has it that on that observance the charity is extremely welcomed and encouraged that’s why the companies and volunteers send the gifts to the underprivileged children, single mothers in the care centers, and patients at the hospitals. Plus, the Sweetest Day is marked with the decreased prices on the confectionery all across the states involved.

International Sweetest Day Facts

• Guess, what is the sweetest state on the Sweetest Day in the US? Ohio, of course! There are the biggest sales of the candies on the third Saturday of October.
• Originally, the holiday was named as the Sweetest Day of the Year.

Spot the day on the calendar, when is Sweetest Day in 2024, and remember, that it’s not about the men or women at all. It’s about the universal feeling of love and care for the people around!