World Chocolate Day

World Chocolate Day, or just Chocolate Day,^[1] is an annual celebration of chocolate,^[2] occurring globally on 7 July,^[3][2] which some suggest to be the anniversary of the introduction of chocolate to Europe in 1550.^[4][5] The observance of World Chocolate Day dates back to 2009^[6] and is not to be confused with International Chocolate Day.^[7]

Other Chocolate Day celebrations exist, such as National Chocolate Day in the United States on 28 October.^[8] The U.S. National Confectioners Association lists 13 September as International Chocolate Day,^[8] coinciding with the birth date of Milton S. Hershey (13 September 1857).^[9][10][11] Ghana, the second largest producer of cocoa, celebrates Chocolate Day on 14 February.^[12] In Latvia, World Chocolate Day is celebrated on 11 July.^[13]

The U.S. National Confectioners Association lists four primary chocolate holidays on their calendar^[8] (Chocolate Day (7 July), two National Chocolate Days (28 October and 28 December), and International Chocolate Day (13 September)^[14]), in addition to variants such as National Milk Chocolate Day, National White Chocolate Day, and National Cocoa Day.^{[citation needed]}