The cone, known as a Schultüte in German, is traditionally presented on the first day of school to ease cases of the jitters. (famveldman (Adobe Stock))
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Back to school! These three words can inspire joy or terror in the hearts of students everywhere. No matter where on the fence a kid may sit in this regard, it’s a rite of passage they all go through. And one of the biggest transitions a child experiences is entering the first grade. Germany has a particularly nice tradition to help ease its youngest pupils into their school years.
Upon their first day of school, boys and girls receive a peculiar looking cone from their parents or grandparents. It’s not so much the festively decorated cardboard, paper or plastic cone itself that delights, but the contents within: a cornucopia of school supplies that can range from the practical (notebooks, pencil cases) to the downright fanciful (glitter pens, duo-colored magic markers) along with toys, candy and other treats.
Upon their first day of school, boys and girls receive a peculiar looking cone from their parents or grandparents. (Kzenon (Adobe Stock))
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While the cone, known as a Schultüte in German, is traditionally presented on the first day of school to ease cases of the jitters, most parents of first-graders have already procured that most essential of school supplies, the backpack. But not just any backpack. A “Ranzen” is rectangular in shape and hard-sided, designed to hold all those essential school supplies in an ergonomically sound manner.
Top-of-the-line ones, particularly those made by companies like Scout, Ergobag or Step by Step, don’t come cheap. Take, for example, the “Scout Sunny II Exclusive Safety Light Schulranzen 4 Piece Set.” The cheery pink-and-purple fairy motif backpack retails for around 309 euros. Other popular Ranzen themes these days include rockets, the cosmos, mermaids, unicorns, robots and llamas.
In Germany, the back-to-school date is determined by Bundesland. (nellas (Adobe Stock))
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Care to treat your own little back-to-schooler to a Schultüte of his or her very own? Their appearance in shops from humble discount markets to high-end department stores coincides with the last few weeks before the start of the new academic year. In Germany, the back-to-school date is determined by Bundesland.
