Father's Day
Encyclopedia
Father's Day is a celebration honoring father
s and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days. Father's Day complements Mother's Day
, the celebration honoring mother
s.
in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting
. The first observance of Father's Day actually took place in Fairmont, West Virginia
on July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, who wanted to celebrate the lives of the 210 fathers who had been lost in the Monongah Mining disaster
several months earlier in Monongah, West Virginia
, on December 6, 1907. It is possible that Clayton was influenced by the first celebration of Mother's Day that same year, just a few miles away. Clayton chose the Sunday nearest to the birthday of her recently deceased father. Unfortunately, the day was overshadowed by other events in the city, West Virginia
did not officially register the holiday, and it was not celebrated again. Instead, credit for Father's Day went to Sonora Dodd from Spokane
, who invented independently her own celebration of Father's Day just two years later, also influenced by Jarvis' Mother's Day. Clayton's celebration was forgotten until 1972, when one of the attendants to the celebration saw Nixon's proclamation of Father's Day, and worked to recover its legacy. The celebration is now held every year in the Central United Methodist Church, as the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was torn down in 1922. Fairmont is now promoted as the "Home of the First Father's Day Service".
A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson
went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US President Calvin Coolidge
recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith
wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents". In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson
issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon
signed it into law in 1972. In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day
is celebrated in many countries on November 19 for men and boys who are fathers.
.
* Officially, as the name suggests, the holiday celebrates people who are serving or were serving the Russian Armed Forces (both men and women). But the congratulations are traditionally, nationally accepted by all fathers, other adult men and male children as well.
** In China during Republican period prior to 1949, Father's Day on August 8 was first held in Shanghai in 1945.
is celebrated on the third Sunday of June, but there have been several attempts to change the date to August 24, to commemorate the day on which the "Father of the Nation" José de San Martín
became a father.
In 1953 the proposal to celebrate Father's Day in all educational establishments on August 24, in honor of José de San Martín
, was raised to the General Direction of Schools of Mendoza Province
. The day was celebrated for the first time in 1958, on the third Sunday of June, but it was not included in the school calendars due to pressure from several groups.
Schools in the Mendoza Province
continued to celebrate Father's Day on August 24, and, in 1982, the Provincial Governor passed a law declaring Father's Day in the province to be celebrated on that day.
In 2004, several proposals to change the date to August 24 were presented to the Argentine Camara de Diputados
as a single, unified
project. After being approved, the project was passed to the Senate of Argentina for final review and approval. The Senate changed the proposed new date to the third Sunday of August, and scheduled the project for approval. However, the project was never addressed during the Senate's planned session, which caused its ultimate failure.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September and is not a public holiday.
YMCA
Victoria
continues the tradition of honouring the role fathers, and father figures play in parenting through the annual awarding of Local Community Father of the Year in 32 municipalities in Victoria
. The Father's Day Council of Victoria
annually recognise fathers in the Father of the Year Award.
Father's Day is celebrated 3 months after Mother's Day, on the second Sunday of August. A publicist
Sylvio Bhering in the mid-1950s selected the date in honor of Saint Joachim, patriarch of family (as well as the Catholic day of godfathers).
the Unidad Social Cristiana party presented a bill to change the celebration of the day from the third Sunday of June to March 19, the day of Saint Joseph
. That was in order to give tribute to this saint, who gave the name to the capital of the country San José, Costa Rica
, and so family heads will be able to celebrate the Father's Day at the same time as the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. The official date is still third Sunday of June.
, which is a public holiday.
In Germany, Father's Day (Vatertag) is celebrated differently from other parts of the world. It is always celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday forty days after Easter), which is a federal holiday. Regionally, it is also called men's day, Männertag, or gentlemen's day, Herrentag. It is tradition, especially in the north and east of the country but much less so in the south and west, for groups of males (young and old but usually excluding pre-teenage boys) to do a hiking tour with one or more smaller wagons, Bollerwagen, pulled by manpower. In the wagons are wine or beer
(according to region) and traditional regional food, Hausmannskost. Many men use this holiday as an opportunity to get drunk.
These traditions are probably rooted in Christian Ascension Day's procession
s to the farmlands, some of which reportedly took on the character of drinking sprees as early as in the 17th century. Similar "gentlemen parties" have also taken place in the streets of urban areas, especially Berlin, since the 19th century. However, many fathers opt to spend the day with their families instead and refrain from getting drunk. Many people will take the following Friday off at work, and some schools are closed on that Friday as well; many people then use the resulting four-day long weekend for a short vacation.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.
(in both the North
and the Republic
), Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.
, according to the Roman Catholic tradition, fathers are celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, commonly called Feast of Saint Joseph ("Festa di San Giuseppe"), March 19. It is not a public holiday.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the 16th day of June and is not a public holiday.
, which occurs in late August or early September, depending on the year, since it depends on the lunar calendar. The Western-inspired celebration of Father's Day, that was imported into the country, is always celebrated in the same day as Gokarna Aunsi.
The rest of the population has also begun to celebrate the Gokarna Aunsi day It is commonly known as Abu ya Khwa Swoyegu in Nepal Bhasa
or Buwaako mukh herne din in Nepali
(literally "day for looking at father’s face"). On the new moon day (Amavasya
) Hindus go to the Shiva
temple of Gokarneswor Mahadev, in Gokarna
, a suburb of Kathmandu while Buddhists go to Jana Bahal (Seto Machhindra Nath or white Tara) temple in Kathmandu to pay respect to their deceased father.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September and is not a public holiday.
, there is no concept of a Father's Day. Only those having had some American influence and connection follow the American third Sunday of June as a father's day, and that too in families that are settled overseas.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May and it is recognized officially by the state. Out of the 27 states in the European Union
, it was the only one without an official Father's Day. Romanian Father's day for 2012 will be celebrated on May 13.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June but is not a public holiday.
, Father's Day is not an official holiday, but is widely observed on August 8, the eighth day of the eighth month of the year. In Mandarin Chinese, the pronunciation of the number 8 is bā. This pronunciation is very similar to the character "爸" "bà", which means "Papa" or "father". The Taiwanese, therefore, usually call August 8 by its nickname, "Bābā Holiday" (爸爸節).
, Father's Day is set as the birthday of the king. December 5 is the birthday of the current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej
(Rama IX). Traditionally, Thais celebrate by giving their father or grandfather a Canna
flower (ดอกพุทธรักษา Dok Buddha Ruksa), which is considered a masculine flower; however, this is not as commonly practiced today. Thai people will wear yellow on this day to show respect for the king, because yellow is the Color of the day
for Monday, the day king Bhumibol Adulyadej was born. In 2007, king Bhumibol Adulyadej was seen leaving the hospital wearing a baby pink blazer. Today, Thais wear pink instead of the yellow.
It first gained nationwide popularity in the 1980s as part of a campaign by Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
to promote Thailand's royal family. Mother's Day
is celebrated on the birthday of Queen Sirikit
, August 12.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June and is not a public holiday.
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Its first celebration was in Spokane, Washington
on June 19, 1910. Other festivities honoring fathers had been held in Fairmont and in Creston, but the modern holiday did not emerge from those.
Modern Father's Day was invented by Sonora Smart Dodd
, born in Arkansas
, who was also the driving force behind its establishment. Her father, the Civil War
veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who reared his six children in Spokane, Washington
. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis
's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.
Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan
was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson
was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge
recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson
made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon
.
In recent years, retail
ers have adapted to the holiday by promoting greeting cards and traditionally male-oriented gift
s such as electronics
and tool
s. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts.
More phone calls are made in the United States during Mother's Day than during Father's Day, but the percentage of collect call
s on Father's Day is much higher, making it the busiest day of the year for collect calls. Also, calls during both Mother's Day and Father's Day tend to last longer.
Father's Day is accompanied by a smaller total number of phone calls, greeting cards and gifts than Mother's Day. It is speculated that this is due to the greater number of households with a mother than households with a father (due to single mothers), to the greater role of mothers in unpaid household labor, and to different personal or societal expectations.
, in the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Clayton was mourning the loss of her father when, on December 1907, the Monongah Mining Disaster
in nearby Monongah
killed 361 men, 250 of them fathers, leaving around a thousand fatherless children. Clayton suggested her pastor Robert Thomas Webb to honor all those fathers. Grace Golden Clayton chose the Sunday nearest to the birthday of her father, Methodist minister Fletcher Golden.
The event did not have repercussions outside of Fairmont for several reasons, among them: the city was overwhelmed by other events, the celebration was never promoted outside of the town itself and no proclamation was made in the City Council. Also two events overshadowed this event: the celebration of Independence Day
July 4, 1908, with 12,000 attendants and several shows including a hot air balloon event, which took over the headlines in the following days, and the death of a 16-year-old girl on July 4. The local church and Council were overwhelmed and they didn't even think of promoting the event, and it wasn't celebrated again for many years. The original sermon was not reproduced in press and it was lost. Finally, Clayton was a quiet person, who never promoted the event or even talked to other persons about it.
Clayton also might have been inspired by Anna Jarvis
' crusade to establish Mother's Day; two months prior, Jarvis had held a celebration for her dead mother in Grafton, West Virginia
, a town about 15 miles (24 km) away from Fairmont.
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
s and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days. Father's Day complements Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
, the celebration honoring mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
s.
History
Father's Day is a celebration of fathers inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's DayMother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
. The first observance of Father's Day actually took place in Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
on July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, who wanted to celebrate the lives of the 210 fathers who had been lost in the Monongah Mining disaster
Monongah Mining disaster
The Monongah Mine disaster of Monongah, West Virginia occurred on December 6, 1907 and has been described as "the worst mining disaster in American History"...
several months earlier in Monongah, West Virginia
Monongah, West Virginia
Monongah is a town in Marion County, West Virginia along the West Fork River. The population was 939 at the 2000 census. Monongah was incorporated in 1891 by Circuit Court...
, on December 6, 1907. It is possible that Clayton was influenced by the first celebration of Mother's Day that same year, just a few miles away. Clayton chose the Sunday nearest to the birthday of her recently deceased father. Unfortunately, the day was overshadowed by other events in the city, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
did not officially register the holiday, and it was not celebrated again. Instead, credit for Father's Day went to Sonora Dodd from Spokane
Spokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
, who invented independently her own celebration of Father's Day just two years later, also influenced by Jarvis' Mother's Day. Clayton's celebration was forgotten until 1972, when one of the attendants to the celebration saw Nixon's proclamation of Father's Day, and worked to recover its legacy. The celebration is now held every year in the Central United Methodist Church, as the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was torn down in 1922. Fairmont is now promoted as the "Home of the First Father's Day Service".
A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith was a Republican Senator from Maine, and one of the most successful politicians in Maine history. She was the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. House and the Senate, and the first woman from Maine to serve in either. She was also the first woman to have her name...
wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents". In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
signed it into law in 1972. In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day
International Men's Day
International Men's Day is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. Inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago, the day and its events find support from a variety of individuals and groups in Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United...
is celebrated in many countries on November 19 for men and boys who are fathers.
Spelling
Although the name of the event is usually understood as a plural possessive (i.e. "day belonging to fathers"), which would under normal English punctuation guidelines be spelled "Fathers' Day," the most common spelling is "Father's Day," as if it were a singular possessive (i.e. "day belonging to Father"). In the United States, Dodd used the "Fathers' Day" spelling on her original petition for the holiday, but the spelling "Father's Day" was already used in 1913 when a bill was introduced to the U.S. Congress as the first attempt to establish the holiday, and it was still spelled the same way when its creator was commended in 2008 by the U.S. CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Dates around the world
The officially recognized date of Father's Day varies from country to country. This section lists some significant examples, in order of date of observance.| Gregorian calendar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occurrence | Dates | Country | |||||||
February 23 |
 Russia (Defender of the Fatherland DayDefender of the Fatherland Day Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Belarus and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23.-History:... )* |
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March 19 |
 Andorra (Dia del Pare) Bolivia Honduras Italy (Festa del Papà) |
 Liechtenstein Portugal (Dia do Pai) Spain (Día del Padre, Dia del Pare, Día do Pai) Antwerp (province) (Belgium) |
|||||||
Second Sunday of May |
May , May , May , |
 Kingdom of Romania (Ziua Tatălui) |
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| May 8 |  South Korea (Parents' DayParents' Day Parents' Day is a holiday similar to a combination of Father's Day and Mother's Day.-In the United States:In the United States, Parents' Day is held on the fourth Sunday of every July... ) |
||||||||
Third Sunday of May |
May , May , May , |
 Tonga |
|||||||
Ascension Day |
 Germany |
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First Sunday of June |
June , June , June , |
 Lithuania (Tėvo diena) Switzerland |
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June 5 |
 Denmark (also Constitution DayConstitution Day (Denmark) Constitution Day , observed on June 5, commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Danish constitution of 1849, which established Denmark as a constitutional monarchy, and honors the constitution of 1953, which was adopted on the same day... ) |
||||||||
Second Sunday of June |
June , June , June , |
 Austria Belgium |
|||||||
Third Sunday of June |
June , June , June , |
 Afghanistan Albania Argentina The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belize Bermuda Kingdom of Bulgaria Canada Chile |
**  Colombia Costa Rica Independent State of Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Dominica Ecuador Ethiopia Early Modern France Ghana Greece |
 Guyana Haiti Hungary Republic of Ireland Jamaica Japan Republic of Kosovo Malaysia Malta Mauritius Mexico |
 Myanmar Namibia Netherlands Nigeria Oman Pakistan Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Puerto Rico Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
 Singapore Slovakia South Africa Sri Lanka Turkey United Kingdom United States Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe |
|||
June 17 |
 El Salvador |
 Guatemala |
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June 21 (first day of summer) |
 Lebanon Egypt Jordan Syria Uganda |
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June 23 |
 Nicaragua |
 Poland |
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Second Sunday of July |
July , July , July , |
 Uruguay |
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Last Sunday of July |
July , July , July , |
 Dominican Republic |
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Second Sunday of August |
August , August , August , |
 Brazil Samoa |
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August 8 |
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First Sunday of September |
September , September , September , |
 Australia Fiji |
 New Zealand Papua New Guinea |
||||||
Second Sunday of September |
September , September , September , |
 Latvia |
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Third Sunday of September |
September , September , September , |
 Ukraine |
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First Sunday of October |
October , October , October , |
 Luxembourg |
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12 November |
Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an... |
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Second Sunday of November |
November , November , November , |
 Estonia Finland (Isänpäivä) Iceland |
 Norway Sweden |
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December 5 |
 Thailand (The birthday of King BhumibolBhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX... ) |
||||||||
December 26 |
Kingdom of Bulgaria |
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| Hindu calendar | |||||||||
| Definition | Sample dates | Country/Territory | |||||||
Bhadrapada Amavasya Amavasya Amavasya is the Indian name for a New moon. The word Amavasya is common to many Indian languages especially Sanskrit, Hindi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, Konkani, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu, and Gujarati... |
August 29, 2011 |
 Nepal Buwaako Mukh Herne Din or बुवाको मुख हेर्ने दिन (कुशे औंशी) |
 India |
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| Islam calendar | |||||||||
| Definition | Sample dates | Country/Territory | |||||||
13 Rajab Rajab Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of Rajaba is "to respect", of which Rajab is a derivative.This month is regarded as one of the four sacred months in Islam in which battles are prohibited... |
June 16, 2011 |
 Iran |
Pakistan |
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International history and traditions
In a few Catholic countries, it is celebrated on the Feast of St. Joseph.Arab world
It's celebrated on 21 June, the first day of summer. This is because Mother's Day in those countries is celebrated in the first day of spring.Argentina
Father's Day in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
is celebrated on the third Sunday of June, but there have been several attempts to change the date to August 24, to commemorate the day on which the "Father of the Nation" José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
became a father.
In 1953 the proposal to celebrate Father's Day in all educational establishments on August 24, in honor of José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
, was raised to the General Direction of Schools of Mendoza Province
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
. The day was celebrated for the first time in 1958, on the third Sunday of June, but it was not included in the school calendars due to pressure from several groups.
Schools in the Mendoza Province
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
continued to celebrate Father's Day on August 24, and, in 1982, the Provincial Governor passed a law declaring Father's Day in the province to be celebrated on that day.
In 2004, several proposals to change the date to August 24 were presented to the Argentine Camara de Diputados
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
as a single, unified
Unified
Unified may refer to:* The Unified, a wine symposium held in Sacramento, California, USA* Unified, the official student newspaper of Canterbury Christ Church UniversityUnify may refer to:* Unify, an album by Electric Universe...
project. After being approved, the project was passed to the Senate of Argentina for final review and approval. The Senate changed the proposed new date to the third Sunday of August, and scheduled the project for approval. However, the project was never addressed during the Senate's planned session, which caused its ultimate failure.
Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September and is not a public holiday.
YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
continues the tradition of honouring the role fathers, and father figures play in parenting through the annual awarding of Local Community Father of the Year in 32 municipalities in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. The Father's Day Council of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
annually recognise fathers in the Father of the Year Award.
Brazil
In BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Father's Day is celebrated 3 months after Mother's Day, on the second Sunday of August. A publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
Sylvio Bhering in the mid-1950s selected the date in honor of Saint Joachim, patriarch of family (as well as the Catholic day of godfathers).
Canada
In Canada, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday. Father's Day typically involves spending time with one's father or the father figures in one's life. Small celebrations and the giving of gifts may be part of the festivities organized for Father's Day.Costa Rica
In Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
the Unidad Social Cristiana party presented a bill to change the celebration of the day from the third Sunday of June to March 19, the day of Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
. That was in order to give tribute to this saint, who gave the name to the capital of the country San José, Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
, and so family heads will be able to celebrate the Father's Day at the same time as the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. The official date is still third Sunday of June.
Denmark
In Denmark, Father's Day is celebrated on June 5. It coincides with Constitution DayConstitution Day (Denmark)
Constitution Day , observed on June 5, commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Danish constitution of 1849, which established Denmark as a constitutional monarchy, and honors the constitution of 1953, which was adopted on the same day...
, which is a public holiday.
Germany
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
(according to region) and traditional regional food, Hausmannskost. Many men use this holiday as an opportunity to get drunk.
These traditions are probably rooted in Christian Ascension Day's procession
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
s to the farmlands, some of which reportedly took on the character of drinking sprees as early as in the 17th century. Similar "gentlemen parties" have also taken place in the streets of urban areas, especially Berlin, since the 19th century. However, many fathers opt to spend the day with their families instead and refrain from getting drunk. Many people will take the following Friday off at work, and some schools are closed on that Friday as well; many people then use the resulting four-day long weekend for a short vacation.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.India
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.
Ireland
In IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(in both the North
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and the Republic
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
), Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.
Iran
Father's day in Iran is celebrated on the 13th of Rajaab, the birthday of the First Imam of Islam, Ali.Italy
In ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, according to the Roman Catholic tradition, fathers are celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, commonly called Feast of Saint Joseph ("Festa di San Giuseppe"), March 19. It is not a public holiday.
Japan
In Japan, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.Malaysia
In Malaysia, Father's Day is on the third Sunday of June but is not a public holiday.Seychelles
In SeychellesSeychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, Father's Day is celebrated on the 16th day of June and is not a public holiday.
Nepal
The Newar population (natives of Kathmandu valley) in Nepal honors fathers on the day of Gokarna AunsiGokarna Aunsi
Gokarna Aunsi literally translated as cow eared and no moon night and is a late August or early September celebration in Nepal where the Hindu population worships cow eared incarnation of lord Shiva and their fathers...
, which occurs in late August or early September, depending on the year, since it depends on the lunar calendar. The Western-inspired celebration of Father's Day, that was imported into the country, is always celebrated in the same day as Gokarna Aunsi.
The rest of the population has also begun to celebrate the Gokarna Aunsi day It is commonly known as Abu ya Khwa Swoyegu in Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa is one of the major languages of Nepal, and is also spoken in India, particularly in Sikkim where it is one of the 11 official languages. Nepal Bhasa is the mother tongue of about 3% of the people in Nepal . It is spoken mainly by the Newars, who chiefly inhabit the towns of the...
or Buwaako mukh herne din in Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
(literally "day for looking at father’s face"). On the new moon day (Amavasya
Amavasya
Amavasya is the Indian name for a New moon. The word Amavasya is common to many Indian languages especially Sanskrit, Hindi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, Konkani, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu, and Gujarati...
) Hindus go to the Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple of Gokarneswor Mahadev, in Gokarna
Gokarna, Nepal
Gokarna is a village development committee in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3414 and had 497 households in it....
, a suburb of Kathmandu while Buddhists go to Jana Bahal (Seto Machhindra Nath or white Tara) temple in Kathmandu to pay respect to their deceased father.
New Zealand
In New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September and is not a public holiday.
Pakistan
In PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, there is no concept of a Father's Day. Only those having had some American influence and connection follow the American third Sunday of June as a father's day, and that too in families that are settled overseas.
The Philippines
In the Philippines, Father's Day is not an official holiday, but is widely observed on the 3rd Sunday of June. Most Filipinos born in the 1960s and 1970s did not celebrate Father's day but due to being under the influence of the United States as seen on television, the Filipinos most likely follow this tradition and other American holidays. The advent of the internet also helps in promoting this holiday to the Filipinos.Portugal
Father's Day is celebrated on March 19 (see Roman Catholic tradition below) in Portugal. Father's Day is not a bank holiday.Roman Catholic tradition
In the Roman Catholic tradition, Fathers are celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, commonly called Feast of Saint Joseph, March 19, though in certain countries Father's Day has become a secular celebration. It is also common for Catholics to honor their "spiritual father," their parish priest, on Father's Day.Romania
Beginning with 2010, in RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May and it is recognized officially by the state. Out of the 27 states in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, it was the only one without an official Father's Day. Romanian Father's day for 2012 will be celebrated on May 13.
Singapore
In SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June but is not a public holiday.
Spain
Father's Day, El Día del Padre, is observed on the Feast day of Saint Joseph, which is March 19. As a Saint's Day, banks and many stores close.Taiwan
In TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Father's Day is not an official holiday, but is widely observed on August 8, the eighth day of the eighth month of the year. In Mandarin Chinese, the pronunciation of the number 8 is bā. This pronunciation is very similar to the character "爸" "bà", which means "Papa" or "father". The Taiwanese, therefore, usually call August 8 by its nickname, "Bābā Holiday" (爸爸節).
Thailand
In ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Father's Day is set as the birthday of the king. December 5 is the birthday of the current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
(Rama IX). Traditionally, Thais celebrate by giving their father or grandfather a Canna
Canna (plant)
Canna is a genus of nineteen species of flowering plants. The closest living relations to cannas are the other plant families of the order Zingiberales, that is the gingers, bananas, marantas, heliconias, strelitzias, etc.Canna is the only genus in the family Cannaceae...
flower (ดอกพุทธรักษา Dok Buddha Ruksa), which is considered a masculine flower; however, this is not as commonly practiced today. Thai people will wear yellow on this day to show respect for the king, because yellow is the Color of the day
Color of the day
In Thai tradition, there is an astrological rule that assigns color for each day of the week. The color is assigned based on the color of the God who protects the day or Navagraha. For example, the God of Sunday is Surya which has red color. These colors of the day are the traditional Thai...
for Monday, the day king Bhumibol Adulyadej was born. In 2007, king Bhumibol Adulyadej was seen leaving the hospital wearing a baby pink blazer. Today, Thais wear pink instead of the yellow.
It first gained nationwide popularity in the 1980s as part of a campaign by Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
Prem Tinsulanonda
General Prem Tinsulanonda is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej....
to promote Thailand's royal family. Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
is celebrated on the birthday of Queen Sirikit
Sirikit
Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat , is the queen consort of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand. She is the second Queen Regent of Thailand...
, August 12.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June and is not a public holiday.
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Its first celebration was in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
on June 19, 1910. Other festivities honoring fathers had been held in Fairmont and in Creston, but the modern holiday did not emerge from those.
Modern Father's Day was invented by Sonora Smart Dodd
Sonora Smart Dodd
Sonora Smart Dodd was the daughter of American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart and was responsible for the founding of Father's Day.-Biography:...
, born in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, who was also the driving force behind its establishment. Her father, the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who reared his six children in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis
Anna Jarvis
Anna Marie Jarvis is the founder of the Mother's Day holiday in the United States.-Biography:...
's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.
Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
In recent years, retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
ers have adapted to the holiday by promoting greeting cards and traditionally male-oriented gift
Gift
A gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to...
s such as electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and tool
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
s. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts.
More phone calls are made in the United States during Mother's Day than during Father's Day, but the percentage of collect call
Collect call
A collect call in the USA and Canada or reverse charge call in the UK and other countries is a telephone call in which the calling party wants to place a call at the called party's expense...
s on Father's Day is much higher, making it the busiest day of the year for collect calls. Also, calls during both Mother's Day and Father's Day tend to last longer.
Father's Day is accompanied by a smaller total number of phone calls, greeting cards and gifts than Mother's Day. It is speculated that this is due to the greater number of households with a mother than households with a father (due to single mothers), to the greater role of mothers in unpaid household labor, and to different personal or societal expectations.
Antecedent
The first modern celebration of a "Father's Day" was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West VirginiaFairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
, in the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Clayton was mourning the loss of her father when, on December 1907, the Monongah Mining Disaster
Monongah Mining disaster
The Monongah Mine disaster of Monongah, West Virginia occurred on December 6, 1907 and has been described as "the worst mining disaster in American History"...
in nearby Monongah
Monongah, West Virginia
Monongah is a town in Marion County, West Virginia along the West Fork River. The population was 939 at the 2000 census. Monongah was incorporated in 1891 by Circuit Court...
killed 361 men, 250 of them fathers, leaving around a thousand fatherless children. Clayton suggested her pastor Robert Thomas Webb to honor all those fathers. Grace Golden Clayton chose the Sunday nearest to the birthday of her father, Methodist minister Fletcher Golden.
The event did not have repercussions outside of Fairmont for several reasons, among them: the city was overwhelmed by other events, the celebration was never promoted outside of the town itself and no proclamation was made in the City Council. Also two events overshadowed this event: the celebration of Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
July 4, 1908, with 12,000 attendants and several shows including a hot air balloon event, which took over the headlines in the following days, and the death of a 16-year-old girl on July 4. The local church and Council were overwhelmed and they didn't even think of promoting the event, and it wasn't celebrated again for many years. The original sermon was not reproduced in press and it was lost. Finally, Clayton was a quiet person, who never promoted the event or even talked to other persons about it.
Clayton also might have been inspired by Anna Jarvis
Anna Jarvis
Anna Marie Jarvis is the founder of the Mother's Day holiday in the United States.-Biography:...
' crusade to establish Mother's Day; two months prior, Jarvis had held a celebration for her dead mother in Grafton, West Virginia
Grafton, West Virginia
Grafton is a city in, and county seat of, Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,489 at the 2000 census. The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's...
, a town about 15 miles (24 km) away from Fairmont.
External links
- Proclamations by US Presidents on Father's Day, from George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...