When is Father's Day and why do we celebrate it?
Father's Day, which is celebrated in the UK on the third Sunday in June, has not officially been around as long as you might think. While you're coming up with ideas of how to honour the father figures in your life this year, why not find out a bit more about where it all came from - and then you can impress them with your knowledge!
1. Father's Day was created by a woman
It’s thought that the tradition was started by a woman named Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, born in Arkansas, USA.
She came up with the idea after wondering why, despite there being an official holiday recognising Mother’s Day, there was no equivalent for fathers.
Sonora and her brothers had been raised solely by their father after her mother passed away in childbirth.
After her suggestion, the first Father’s Day was held on 19 June 1910.
2. It wasn’t officially recognised until many years later
Despite Sonoma’s idea taking off, Father’s Day wasn’t officially recognised until a lot later.
Father’s Day was being celebrated around America, committees were even formed, but it wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. From there, it was made a permanent national holiday by President Richard Nixon in 1972.
Around this time, the UK also decided to adopt the same third Sunday in June as the official day to celebrate dads.
3. Catholic countries celebrate on a different day
In some Catholic countries in Europe, Father’s Day has been traditionally celebrated on 19 March since the Middle Ages. This is because 19 March is St Joseph’s Day, a feast day – or day of celebration – dedicated to Joseph of Nazareth, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the legal father of Jesus, hence why it has also become the day to celebrate other fathers too!
4. Traditions around the world
As we've mentioned, different countries around the world celebrate Father's Day at different times of the year, but they also celebrate in lots of different ways too.
Lots of countries celebrate much the same way we do in the UK, with cards, gifts, homemade school projects and perhaps a family meal or even breakfast in bed! But there are countries that have slightly different twists with their own traditions.
In Germany, Father's Day is celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday forty days after Easter) and is also known as gentlemen's day. One tradition involves young and older males taking parts in hiking tours where they will take small wagons filled with Hausmannkost - simple, hearty dishes that are prepared at home. They'll also pack drinks including beer.
In Thailand, Father's Day takes place on 5 December, which is also the birthday of the late . Traditionally, Thais would celebrate by giving their father figures a canna flower, although this is not as popular anymore. They also wear yellow and light candles to show respect for the late king, who was seen as the "father of the nation".
Over in France, dads actually got nominated for a national prize when it was first established in the 1950s. Like the US and the UK, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, and father figures could be nominated by the social services of each town hall or mayor's office.
In Paraguay, Father's Day is celebrated with a traditional banquet of Paraguayan food like chipa (cheese-flavoured rolls), mbeju (starch cake) and sopa paraguaya (similar to corn bread).
In Japan, traditional gifts for Father's Day include sake (Japanese rice wine), shochu (Japanese liquor), gourmet food and various sweets.
5. The official flower of Father's Day is the rose
Did you know the official flower of Father's Day is the rose? In some countries, red roses are traditionally given to honour fathers or father figures who are still living and white roses are used to honour those who have passed away. The idea was all Sonora Smart Dodd's (remember, we talked about her earlier as the woman who created Father's Day in the US). She suggested people wear a little red or white rose somewhere on their person as a symbol of their love for their fathers.
For Mother's Day, the official flower is the carnation.
What if you don't feel like celebrating?
Depending on your situation, you and your family might not feel like celebrating Father's Day. And that's OK. We have some more articles that might help here.
