At first I thought they might hold fresh flowers, like a vase, or perhaps they were used as hats for kids. All the cones featured different colors and cartoon characters and were distinctively separated by boy and girl themes. I examined them closely and found a net inside each one. At that point, I was completely clueless about their purpose.
Stepping out of the store, I asked Carola, a German student at IMK that came with us to the mall, about these peculiar cones. With a grin, she remembered the day she got her schultüte and told me her story.
I learned that when children in Germany go to their first day of school, in their first grade, their parents or grandparents give them a big colorful cardboard cone called a schultüte or a school cone, filled with goodies inside. This gift is part of a centuries-old tradition celebrating the new journey these children are embarking towards higher education.
Since all these cones vary in shape and themes, they are very personalized with the child’s style, their preferences and needs. Small toys, chocolates and candies are often the preferred fillers, although school supplies such as colorful pencils, small notebooks, ink pens and even CDs can often also be found in most schultütes these days.
Even IMK students, as mentioned by Mr. Norbert Eckes, IMK Director, all receive a special treat on their first day of class, their own especially designed schultüte, to celebrate their pursuit of a new educational milestone in this prestigious marketing and communication institute.
As a very unique German tradition, the “first day of school” ceremony serves as a reminder of little differences that individual cultures often take for granted; yet, as an outsider, one can easily appreciate the fascinating differences and the social values of education, perseverance and commitment, transmitted by these traditions.
By: Maria Alexandra Sanchez
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