Father’s Day Facts – How much do you really know about the holiday?
(The Independent)
Father’s Day is right around the corner! It’s time to start thinking about how to celebrate your dad this year.
But it can be tricky to figure out the best way to celebrate them - and what the perfect Father’s Day gift would be - when many dads are guilty of saying that they don’t want anything special for the occasion.
So we decided to look into the holiday a bit further for some inspiration. Where did the idea of Father’s Day come from? When did it start? How do people celebrate it in different parts of the world? For all you need to know about Father’s Day, just keep reading...
When is Father’s Day this year?
Father’s Day here in the UK will be on Sunday 19th June this year (2022).
The holiday marks a day to honour the influence of fathers in society. This can include all father figures such as grandfathers and fathers-in-law. Many people send their fathers a thoughtful card, give a gift to show their appreciation or make a special effort to visit them on the day.
If you’re worrying about how to celebrate your dad or what to get him for Father’s Day this year, don’t stress! You’re in the right place – check out our unique range of personalised Father’s Day gifts which we have created especially for this holiday.
Is Father’s Day always on the same day?
No! Father’s Day is not always on the same day every year.
No wonder we sometimes forget to be prepared for Father’s Day until the last minute. It can be hard to keep track of when the day actually is since the date of the celebration changes every time.
Something that does stay the same when it comes to celebrating Father’s Day is that it always falls on the third Sunday of June. So you can check your calendar for June’s third Sunday – or just save this page as a convenient reminder for this year!
(Time and Date)
But how come it is always celebrated on this third Sunday in the month of June? There are a few possible reasons why this is the case which we will reveal further down, so keep reading to find out how this is linked to the holiday’s history.
Is Father’s Day celebrated on the same day in different countries?
The answer to this question is also no.
Father’s Day is celebrated on different dates in different parts of the world.
The most popular date for Father’s Day is the third Sunday of June, as we explained above in regards to here in the UK. This date was first observed in the United States and has then been adopted by many other countries.
This is different in Spain, Italy and Portugal. In these countries, the date of Father’s Day is March 19th as this is also Saint Joseph’s Day who is the patron saint of fathers. In Germany, Father’s Day is celebrated on the same date as Ascension Day in the month of May.
In Taiwan, the date of the holiday is the 8th August. The reason behind this date is that eight in Chinese is ‘ba’ and an informal word for father is ‘ba-ba’. Therefore, the eighth day of the eighth month sounds like the word ‘daddy’.
Back in 1949, the Nordic countries made the decision to move the date of Father’s Day from the American date to the second Sunday of November to place it half a year away from Mother’s Day. However, this doesn’t apply to the country of Denmark, who forgot to tell the public about this change of date! So their Father’s Day still occurs in June.
When was the first ever Father’s Day?
The first ever Father’s Day was celebrated on the 19th June 1910.
In 1924, the US President at the time (Calvin Coolidge) gave his support to the celebration. It wasn’t until the year 1966 that President Johnson issued a declaration that recognised Father’s Day.
(Time)
Only in 1972 did Father’s Day become a national holiday. President Nixon signed legislation which assigned the celebration to the third Sunday of June, and most countries now honour the holiday on this day.
However, we think it’s important to know that before there was a Father’s Day, there were already days for celebrating fatherhood. For example, a traditional day to honour fatherhood in Catholic Europe dates back to as early as the year 1508.
What came first – Mother’s Day or Father’s Day?
Mother’s Day came first.
The annual holiday of Father’s Day was started just a few years after the first celebration of Mother’s Day in 1914. It was started in order to create an equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents.
There was actually some controversy around a day for fathers when the idea was first suggested and it took some time for the holiday to be fully accepted.
Because the celebration of Mother’s Day came first, men in the early 1900s associated a tribute like this to women and so they found the concept to be too effeminate. Men had a patriarchal role within the family throughout the first half of the century, so they thought that having a particular day to praise fatherhood was a silly idea when mothers were the ones who were being underappreciated – but this attitude changed over time for the following reasons.
In 1916, US President Wilson personally observed the holiday with his family. In 1924, as we mentioned earlier, President Coolidge signed a resolution in favour of Father’s Day. The purpose of this was to create closer relationships between fathers and their children. Later, in 1966, President Johnson signed the executive order that declared the third Sunday of June to be the day of celebrating fathers. Finally, President Nixon officially made Father’s Day a national holiday in 1972.
Who started Father’s Day?
So how did the annual holiday of Father’s Day start? Whose idea was it?
Although Mother’s Day has quite a clear starting point, the beginning of the male equivalent is a bit less certain.
What might surprise you is that the people who are responsible for starting Father’s Day were both women.
(Wikipedia)
The first was Grace Golden Clayton. She lived in West Virginia in the US where, in 1908, there was a mining accident which killed hundreds of men. It was declared to be the worst mining accident in US history. Grace was the daughter of a minister and she suggested that a service be held to pay tribute to all fathers, particularly the fathers who had sadly died in the accident.
This service took place on 5th July and is the first known Father’s Day service. The problem was that not many people knew about it – the service wasn’t promoted so only those in the local area were aware of the event. It was another woman in the following year who helped the idea of Father’s Day become an annual occasion.
(ABC News)
In 1909, across the country, a woman called Sonora Smart Dodd in Washington was inspired by the founder of Mother’s Day – a woman named Anna Jarvis. Sonora’s mother died during the birth of the youngest Dodd child. This left Sonora’s father to raise her and her five brothers as a single parent. It was whilst Sonora was at a church service for Mother’s Day that she had the idea to celebrate fathers in the same way.
Dodd managed to persuade the ministerial association of her hometown to use a Sunday in June to honour fathers. The 5th June was the date that she suggested as this was her father’s birthday. However, the ministerial association decided on using the third Sunday of June instead. This was so that they had more time between Mother’s Day and this new Father’s Day to plan their sermons.
As a result, the first ever Father’s Day events began on the 19th June 1910. This story of Sonora Smart Dodd and her local ministers also explains why Father’s Day is always celebrated on the third Sunday in June.
The Father’s Day celebrations in Spokane where Sonora lived were broadcast far and wide. News of the special day eventually spread to Washington – and the rest is history!
Are Father’s Day traditions different around the world?
Yes – the way people celebrate Father’s Day can differ depending on the country they live in.
In France, the history of Father’s Day can be traced back to a company called Flaminaire that manufactured lighters and promoted them as the perfect present for any smoking fathers. More recently, lighters have been replaced with drawings and other small gifts.
In Thailand, they celebrate fathers on the birthday of the late King Bhumibol, who would give a speech on the day. The traditional gift for Thai fathers is the Canna flower. This flower is seen as a symbol of masculinity.
(Wine Gourmet)
Father’s Day in Germany looks rather different. Fathers are given the day off from work to enjoy a fun men’s day out. Men will go out for hikes and take wagons with them which have been filled with alcohol and food. The idea is that before the hike is over, these supplies will have been completely used up!
(Reader's Digest)
A tradition that you might find bizarre is how fathers are celebrated in Uruguay. People in the South American country honour their fathers by hanging skeletons outside their front doors. For us here in the UK, this kind of house decoration would only make sense in the month of October for the celebration of Halloween. But in Uruguay, the skeletons are meant to represent Padre Esqueleto – this translates to Father Skeleton – who is a father figure in the country’s folklore.
Celebrate Father’s Day with Custom Gift Co
However you celebrate Father’s Day, one thing is for sure – it is a great opportunity to show the father figures in your life just how much they mean to you.
If you want to be prepared for the occasion but you’re not sure what the perfect gift would be, we have got you covered with our collection of personalised gifts for Father’s Day.
Here at Custom Gift Co, we know that every dad is different. That’s why we have put together our wide range of Father’s Day gifts – so that whether your dad is interested in sports, cooking or craft beers, you will find a gift that they are sure to love.
Let us give you some Father’s Day gift inspiration...
- For the dad who's a stationery addict - impress him with a Personalised Parker IM Rollerball & Fountain Pen Set
- For the fashion-conscious father - help him look dapper with a custom Engraved Tie Slide & Cufflink Set
- For the dad who knows that enjoying a frosty bottle of beer at the end of a busy day is one of life’s simple pleasures - a Personalised Wooden Beer Carrier will give him a place to store his supply
- If your father prefers spirits, look no further than our Personalised Whisky Glass in a Traditional Tumbler style - perfect for serving up his favourite cocktail
- Why not add a set of 4 fun slate coasters to go with his new bespoke glass?
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