A US Export – Halloween!
Suecia
Halloween is a relatively new addition to Sweden’s yearly celebrations. With Celtic roots, this tradition is best known for the American-style pumpkin decorations and trick or treat customs, both of which Swedes have also adopted.Halloween has only been celebrated in Sweden since the 1990’s, and has rapidly become established here − not least as a result of smart commercial marketing. By the beginning of November, Sweden is enveloped in darkness and the long working weeks stretch away endlessly. There are no public holidays or extended weekends between the summer holiday and All Saints’ Day. Halloween heralds the schools’ autumn break and represents a welcome diversion in the gathering dark.
Alemania
Halloween may not be a traditional German celebration, but virtually every German youngster knows about it. For adults as well, over the last decade or so Halloween has become increasingly popular in Europe, and particularly in Germany. It is now common to see pumpkin (Kürbis) and jack-o’-lantern decorations in Austria and Germany by mid-October. One German organization in particular takes credit for making Halloween a popular celebration in Germany. The Special Carnival Group (Fachgruppe Karneval) of the German Association for the Toy Industry (Deutscher Verband der Spielwarenindustrie, DVSI) claims the German amusement and toy industry was badly hurt in 1991 after Karneval was cancelled because of the First Gulf War. The DVSI began looking for alternatives. En 1994 they began a campaign to promote Halloween to Germans. Por 2009 Germans were spending 30 million euros on Halloween. For Germany’s candy industry, the holiday has become the third largest after Christmas and Easter. Whether or not the DVSI should get the credit, Halloween is now a major factor in German popular culture and the German economy.
The Candy Corn Connection
There is at least one direct German-American Halloween connection. Following the American Civil War, Gustav and Albert Goelitz traveled from Germany to Illinois to join an uncle who had emigrated in 1834. After Gustav’s death, his two eldest sons revived the candy business that he and Albert had founded. Goelitz Confectionery Co. invented the popular Halloween confection known as Candy Corn in the 1880’s. Records indicate that Goelitz was making candy corn by 1900. That firm’s successor, Herman Goelitz, Inc. of Fairfield, California, is best known as the maker of Jelly Belly jelly bean candy.
Austria
The Pumpkin Festival in Austria – Around Halloween the Austrian town of Retz and neighboring communities, not far from Vienna, hold an annual pumpkin festival (Kürbisfest), complete with pumpkins, parties, and a Halloween parade (Halloween-Umzug). The region around Retz has also become known for its annual pumpkin harvest. Known as Bluza in the regional dialect, the pumpkin becomes the centerpiece of ein Fest für die ganze Familie, a festival for the entire family.
Martinstag – November 11 There is an old traditional German custom that has much in common with Halloween: Martinstag (St. Martin’s Day, Martinsmas). The Catholic Martinstag observance on November 11 includes costumes and a lantern procession for children. Also known as Martini in Austria and Bavaria, the feast day of Martin of Tours is celebrated in many parts of Europe, including even some Protestant regions. According to legend, Martin cut his red cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. The traditional baked goose (Martinsgans) meal on Martinstag is based on another part of the legend. Feeling unworthy of becoming a bishop, Martin hid in a stable filled with geese. The noise made by the geese betrayed his location, and the people of Tours had him consecrated as a bishop.
In parts of Austria, Alemania, and Switzerland the Martinstag observance is a children’s affair. Carrying paper lanterns they have made in school, the young children take part in an evening procession, sometimes led by a rider on a white horse, emulating St. Martin and his red cloak. In some places the lantern procession ends with a Martinsfeuer (Martin bonfire).
- For many businesses, the idea of exporting can be frightening. Aún, ya que las estadísticas locales y nacionales apoyan, las empresas que exportan son generalmente más éxito que aquellos que dependen exclusivamente en el mercado interno. Between 2009 y 2011, U.S. exports grew by 40 percent and the federal government is pressing to provide programs and resources that help U.S. companies succeed internationally. Small businesses account for over 30 por ciento de todo U.S. exportaciones, casi $500 millones de dólares en 2012. El segmento de crecimiento más rápido de U.S. empresas exportadoras–que comprende 65 por ciento de todo U.S. exportadores–son las empresas con 20 o menos empleados, lo que demuestra que el tamaño ya no es un requisito para el éxito en los mercados globales. Así, now may be the right time to lose your export anxieties!
“Do not let your fears choose your destiny.” ~ Unknown ~ “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. “If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~ Dale Carnegie ~ “I was never afraid of failure, for I would sooner fail than not be among the best”. ~ John Keats ~ “I failed my way to success.” ~ Thomas Edison ~ “A mind focused on doubt and fear cannot focus on the journey to victory.” ~ Mike Jones ~ “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.” ~ Unknown ~
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- 1. Pumpkins are a member of the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes squash, cantaloupes, cucumbers, watermelons, and gourds. 2. Pumpkins are 90 percent water and range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds with the largest pumpkin ever grown weighing 1,140 pounds. 3. Hollowed-out pumpkins, called jack-o-lanterns can be traced back to the people in Ireland and England who carved out beets, potatoes, and turnips to use as lanterns around this festive time. 4. The town of Morton, near Peoria in central Illinois, is the self-proclaimed Pumpkin Capital of the World. Morton is the location of a Libby’s® pumpkin processing plant owned by Nestlé Food Company, which cans more than 85 percent of the world’s pumpkin each year. 5. Most pumpkins are processed into canned pumpkin and canned pie mix. En 2005, Illinois was number one among the top five pumpkin producing states, with almost 4.97 million pounds, followed by California with almost 1.6 million pounds, Ohio with 1.33 million pounds, Pennsylvania with 1.31 million pounds and Michigan with 854 thousand pounds. 6. The pumpkin, a native of Central America but in a form that few of us would recognize today, was once used for removing freckles and curing snakebites. More than likely, the orange flesh would mask the freckles, giving the person a jaundiced appearance that would probably cause more concern than freckles. Pumpkins are a fruit — in the way tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant and green beans are fruit. 7. Pumpkins can range in size from less than one pound to more than 1,000 pounds. Miniature-sized pumpkins weigh less than one pound and typically are used for decorative purposes. Pie pumpkins range in many sizes. La 5- a 10 -pound pie pumpkin varieties are most often grown. Pumpkins in the 10- to 25-pound range are primarily used for jack-o-lanterns and can also be used for processing. Pumpkins above 25 pounds are called giant. Giant pumpkins typically range between 25 a 75 pounds in size.
Geisler, M. Pumpkins Overview. (2010). Agricultural Market Resource Center. http://www.agmrc.org
University of Illinois Extention. Pumpkins and More: pumpkin facts. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/facts.cfm
Statistics Canada. (2010). Halloween by the Numbers. http://www42.statcan.ca/smr08/2010/smr08_147_2010-eng.htm