Every country and/ or family has its own special tradition on the first day of classes. South Korea has a little ceremony on the first day of first grade. On the first day of the first grade, for some reason, my family gives the child a new pair of shoes. Of course, Austria has a very interesting tradition for school children entering the first grade.

A couple of weeks ago, if you were out on the street early enough, you probably saw children holding huge cones. These are called Schuletüte; its literal translation is school cone. Children of Germany, Czech Republic, some parts of Poland and Switzerland, and Austria receive a big cardboard cone filled with candies, school supplies, toys, and other goodies on the first day of first grade. I find this little tradition so adorable and is over 200 years old!

Not just for school children starting first grade, sometimes it’s a good finishing gift or a gag gift. (Mainly I couldn’t find a picture of him with his first Schuletüte) My boyfriend got his second Schuletüte after his finished high school exam (Matura: high school exit exam in countries in this part of Europe) as you can see in the picture. He had candies and other goodies not meant for children.

They sell those cones of different sizes and colors and patterns online and you can stuff them with whatever you want! So if you have a friend who’s starting school this fall, why not surprise with a cute and kind little gift of Schuletüte?