World Father’s Day is celebrated to honor the role of fathers and forefathers. It is a day for fathers and father-like figures. Ancient Romans had a tradition of honoring fathers, every February, but only those who had died. Around the world, Father’s Day is celebrated similarly but it is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide. Many countries observe this day on the third Sunday of June, so this year World Father’s Day comes on June 21. This day is celebrated worldwide to recognize the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children.Father’s Day is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year on June 19. In May of 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Wash., sat in church listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. William Jackson Smart, the Civil War veteran was a single parent who raised his six children there.World Father’s Day was founded by her in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA. She decided that she wanted to designate such kind of day for her dad, William Jackson Smart also. It falls on Sunday, June 21, 2020, and most businesses follow regular Sunday opening hours in the United States. Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. The main objective of celebrating Father’s Day is to realize and honor the contribution of fathers in society. This day celebrates the fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the efforts of male parents towards their family and society. In Canada, the United Kingdom, Qatar, Argentina, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, and Venezuela, it is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Mother’s Day came first was celebrated as far back as in the 1860s which paved the way for Father’s Day. Father’s Day is not a federal holiday in most countries except in Thailand as in this country, it falls on the same day as the King’s Birthday, which is a public holiday. For other countries, Father’s Day is on a Sunday, so public offices are closed on this day and very few organizations are open for business.

HISTORY OF FATHER’S DAY

In Spokane, WA, the first Father’s Day in June was celebrated on June 19, 1910. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended the day as a national holiday. President Lyndon Johnson made Father’s Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 1966, though the day was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

In the USA, Fairmont, West Virginia, the first Father’s Day was celebrated on July 5, 1908. It was first celebrated at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South as a church service. Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church is now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton suggested the service to the pastor after a mine explosion in nearby Monongah. The explosion had killed 361 men. The service was also accompanied by the Mothers’ Day. The Mother’s Day had been celebrated for the first time two months prior in Grafton. Harry Meek, the president of the Chicago branch of the Lions’ Club was also considered as the inventor of Father’s Day. He celebrated the first Father’s Day with his organization in 1915 on the third Sunday in June. Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd was a key figure in the establishment of Father’s Day in an honor of her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart who as a single parent raised his six children. The anniversary of her father’s death was first suggested as a date for Father’s Day. As she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make the arrangements, the celebration was extended to the third Sunday of June.

WORLD FATHER’S DAY 2020

Father’s Day will be celebrated on 21 June 2020 this year. The third Sunday in June was first observed in the USA and has since been adopted by many countries as the World Father’s day. In Spain, Italy, and Portugal, Father’s Day is celebrated on 19 March, which is the Feast of St. Joseph who is the patron saint of fathers. In Germany, Father’s Day is celebrated on the same date as Ascension Day. The tradition of a Father’s Day was adopted in the 1930s across Scandinavia. Originally in Nordic countries, the American date was used, but in 1949 the date was shifted to the second Sunday in November. This was chosen to increase sales in an otherwise quiet trading period before Christmas. Denmark was the only country that didn’t fall in line as they forgot to inform the public and press about the change in date, so Father’s Day remained on the same day as their other early June holiday, Constitution Day. In Taiwan, Father’s Day is celebrated on 8 August as according to the Chinese, the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to ‘daddy’. Later on, the date was moved to the third Sunday in June. The date when Father’s Day is celebrated varies from country to country. It is celebrated in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the third Sunday of June. It is also observed in countries such as Argentina, Canada, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, and Venezuela. In Australia and New Zealand, Father’s Day is on the first Sunday in September. In Thailand, it is celebrated on December 5, which is the birthday of the country’s king. Brazilian dads are honored on the second Sunday of August.

WORLD FATHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONS

On Father’s Day, many people make a special effort for their fathers or father figures. Some give cards, flowers or other gifts, such as clothing or sporting equipment, or luxury food items to their father or some may visit their father to honor them and to show them respect. Some can just give a simple phone call or greetings card to their father. Father figures can include fathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and even other male relatives. Father’s Day in India is celebrated in similar ways as in the United Kingdom or the United States. Due to the greater exposure of people to the western in metropolitan cities and bigger towns, there is a greater awareness of Father’s Day in these areas. In Mexico Father’s Day is referred to as “Día del Padre”, where many families get together, prepare meals, and distribute gifts to fathers or father figures.

In South Africa, Father’s Day celebrations are hosted by many social and cultural societies to stress the important role of fathers in the upbringing of their children. Father’s Day is celebrated with enthusiasm and gifts galore to reflect on the invaluable role and contribution of fathers in the family. People honor their father and express gratitude for his love and affection on Father’s Day. People in the US and Canada pay tribute to dad, grandfather, stepfather, foster father, uncle, or men who play the Father figure role in their lives in this day. And people in Canada wear roses to express gratitude and love for their father as their US counterparts. On this day, children staying away from families come together to celebrate the day with their fathers. Some people also give out donations in the name of their fathers or by performing acts of service; Dining out. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, South Africa, several clubs, schools, and cultural societies organize Father’s Day parties and get-togethers. Such parties show the importance of Father’s role in the development of the family and society as a whole. Children are encouraged to pay full attention and respect to their father. However, this occasion is celebrated privately in households in Australia accompanied by breakfast meetings for families.

In South Africa, people go out for a picnic, fishing, or just for a meal in a restaurant. In India, celebrating Father’s Day is a new concept and this day is highly influenced by U.S. celebrations. In Indian also, the idea of honoring fathers has been appreciated to a large extent like in all other countries. The idea is to encourage children to pay due respect to the elders especially dads and understand the importance of a family. This day is celebrated in India in the same way as in the UK or US but in a limited way. Awareness about Father’s Day festival is much greater in metropolitan cities and bigger towns due to the greater exposure of people to the western cultures and is fast catching up with people in smaller towns and cities of India as well.

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