What is the history of Father’s Day and why do we celebrate it?
FATHER'S Day is a day dedicated to showing appreciation to all our father figures.
Let's take a look into the history of why we universally celebrate Father's Day.
What is the history of Father's Day?
There are quite a few stories about the origins of Father's Day.
However, Father's Day as we know it has been around for about 110 years.
The holiday originated in the and has been adopted by countries around the world.
The widely celebrated day began with a memorial service for 250 fathers who died in the Monongah Mining Disaster that killed 361 men in in 1907.
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The disaster left 1000 children fatherless.
One child, Grace Golden Clayton, suggested that the city honor the late dads.
It was officially proposed by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, at a YMCA in Spokane, in June 1910.
The idea was originally laughed off but gradually gained presidential attention.
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President went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration in 1916.
Though the holiday was practiced, Father's Day wasn't officially recognized by the US Congress until 1972.
The tradition of Father's Day is believed to have become more popular in the UK post as American influence became more prominent.
Why do we celebrate Father's Day?
As one may have guessed, we celebrate it because we love our dads and want to celebrate the role that father figures play in our lives.
It's a day dedicated to simply saying thank you for being there.
Companies across the retail industry extend exclusive merchandise to honor our father figures.
Some other ways to celebrate the father figures in our lives are to:
- Spend time together doing something your father loves
- Cook him a meal
- Buy him a gift he'd appreciate
- Create a photo album he'd cherish
- Participate in some of your father's favorite hobbies
Is Father's Day on the same day every year?
Unlike Mother's Day, which has a more religiously-entrenched and far longer tradition, Father's Day is on the third Sunday of June every year in the US, , and the UK.
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This means the exact date will vary every year, and as it falls on a Sunday there is no bank holiday for Father's Day.
In 2023 it will fall on June 18. The following year, in 2024, it falls on June 16.