Father’s Day is a holiday honoring one’s father honoring the man who has embraced the essential role of fatherhood.
According to a news report, Father’s Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June in over 111 nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India.
In many Catholic countries, especially in Latin America, fathers are celebrated on St. Joseph’s Day, which falls on March 19.
Nordic nations Norway, Sweden, and Finland observed on the second Sunday in November; and in some Catholic countries, on March 19 (St. Joseph’s Day).
In many Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, Father’s Day occurs on the first Sunday in September.
Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and this year Father’s Day is celebrated on June 18. This year, Father’s Day falls a few days before the summer solstice (June 21, 2023), which makes it the perfect time to kick-off the summer season with a father-focused barbecue, camping trip, beach day, or other outdoor activity!
The first known Father’s Day service occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, after hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U.S. history. The Sunday service happened because of the efforts of Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a dedicated reverend.
While missing her own dad, who had died in 1896, Mrs. Clayton wanted to honor the many fathers who had died in the mining explosion, which killed more than 360 men and boys, and left about 1,000 children fatherless.
Although the Fairmont service was the first known to honor fathers, it did not turn into an annual event, nor was the idea promoted (a large July 4 celebration in Fairmont and a tragic young death from typhoid fever took over the news at the time).
The single most common date among world countries is the third Sunday of June, which was founded in the state of Washington, United States, by Sonora Smart Dodd in 1910. The day is held on various dates across the world, and different regions maintain their own traditions of honoring fatherhood.
On this day, we also thank fathers and father figures (uncles, grandfathers) for the sacrifices they make, for embracing the responsibility of nurturing and raising children, and for their devotion to their families.
Like Mother’s Day, the modern American version of Father’s Day has a history that goes well beyond greeting cards.
Several other people across the nation had similar ideas throughout the years, but Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd is credited for being the one to popularize it, starting events that led to Father’s Day becoming a U.S. national holiday.
According to History.com, after hearing a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, a Spokane, Washington woman was inspired to create a similar holiday that celebrated fathers.
Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in 1882, is recognized as the founder of Father’s Day. Dodd, who died in 1978, was raised by a twice married, twice widowed Civil War veteran with 14 children. As a result, she wanted to honor the “loving service” of fathers.
In 1910, she brought a petition before the Spokane Ministerial Alliance to recognize “the courage and devotion of all fathers” like William Dodd on June 5, her dad’s birthday. As reported by History.com, the local clergy liked the idea of a special Father’s Day service, but couldn’t pull something together so quickly, so they settled for the third Sunday in June.
People celebrate the holiday by showing dads they appreciate them through gifts, taking them out to eat or just simply spending time with them.
The first Father’s Day in Spokane, Washington, was observed on June 19, 1910 (the third Sunday in June) and became an annual event there. Soon, other towns had their own celebrations. But it took more than six decades for the day to become official.
Despite widespread support, Father’s Day did not become a permanent national holiday for many years. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed a law declaring that Father’s Day be celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June. It has been an official, permanent national holiday ever since.
The holiday piggybacked off Mother’s Day, which became a commercial holiday in 1908. By 1914, Mother’s Day was made official by President Woodrow Wilson, who said the second Sunday of May would be dedicated to honoring “that tender, gentle army, the mothers of America.”
However, in 1916, Wilson recognized Father’s Day, and in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged states to observe the holiday. Finally in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson made the first presidential proclamation that honored fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.
Every year, Father’s Day is celebrated by families all around the world who plan activities to celebrate the special men in their lives.
Mothers and older children pore through Father’s Day quotes and messages for the perfect words to put in their funny card, while new fathers may find themselves looking to their own dads for guidance and dad jokes as they experience their first official Father’s Day.
The history of Mother’s Day goes back to the 1860s, and Mother’s Day was declared a national holiday in 1914. Then the celebration of moms paved the way for Father’s Day.
The Great Depression and World War II, however, helped boost the idea that Father’s Day became a way to honor the many fathers serving overseas. (compiled from various sources)
