Father's Day
| Father's Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Many countries |
| Type | Historical |
| Date | Varies regionally |
| Related to | Mother's Day |
Father's Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving, and special dinners to fathers and family-oriented activities. It originated as a June event in Spokane, Washington.
Although Mrs. John B. Dodd of Washington was the first to solicit the idea of having a Father's Day observance (while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in church), the very first Father's Day observance didn't transpire for many years. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, at the Spokane YMCA.
While President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday in 1966 to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June, it was not officially recognized until 1972, during the Richard Nixon's presidency.
Spelling
Although normal English punctuation guidelines indicate that the holiday should be spelled "Fathers' Day" (as it is a plural possessive), common usage dictates that the ostensibly singular possessive "Father's Day" is the preferred spelling.
United States
In the United States, the first modern Father's Day church-service celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia[1][2] or on June 19th of the same year, in the state of Washington[3]. Today, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June.
In West Virginia, it was first celebrated as a church service at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after the deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah the prior December. This explosion killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Another possible inspiration for the service was Mothers' Day, which had been celebrated for the first time two months prior in Grafton, West Virginia, a town about 15 miles away.
Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent 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. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, at the Spokane YMCA.
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 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, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting male-oriented gifts such as electronics, tools, and greeting cards. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts.
According to IBISWorld, a publisher of business research, Americans are expected to spend at least $11 billion on gifts for Father's Day in 2008. This is about $7 billion less than the amount spent on Moms for Mother's Day, which is more steeped in traditional gifts, some of which tend to be more expensive than Father's Day gifts. In economic terms, the average per capita spending on Father's Day is expected to be in the range of $27.60 in 2008. [4].
International history and traditions
The officially recognized date of Father's Day varies from country to country, and is celebrated in almost every month of the year. For example, in Bolivia, it is on March 19; in South Korea (Parents Day), on May 8; Denmark, June 5 (Constitution Day); Uruguay, on the second Sunday of July; Brazil, on the second Sunday of August; Nepal, on the new moon of September; Luxembourg, on the first Sunday of October; Norway, on the second Sunday of November; and Thailand, on December 5.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, Fathers are celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, commonly called the Feast of Saint Joseph, March 19, though in most countries Father's Day is a secular celebration. [5]
Argentina
Father's Day on Argentina is celebrated on the third Sunday of June, but there have been several attempts to change it to August 24 to honor the day when the "Father of the Nation," José de San Martín, became a father. [6] The schools in 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 be celebrated on August 24. [7]
In 2004, several proposals to change the date to August 24 were presented to the Argentinian Camara de Diputados. [8] It was approved, and it was passed on 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 proposal was never voted on by the Senate in the planned session, which caused its failure. [9]
Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, 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.[10] 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.[11] The official date is still third Sunday of June.
Germany
In Germany, there is no such thing as Father's Day [12][13] as celebrated throughout the Western world. There are two terms and/or events of an older origin that while similar in name, have entirely different meanings. Vatertag, is always celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday 40 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 to do a males-only 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, which could be Saumagen, Liverwurst, Blutwurst (Blood Sausage), vegetables, eggs, etc.
Some parts of Germany (such as Bavaria and the northern part of Germany) call this particular day "Vatertag," which is the literal equivalent to Father's Day.
Taiwan
In Taiwan, 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 Day" (爸爸節).
Thailand
In Thailand, Father's Day is set as the birthday of the king. December 5 is the birthday of current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). Thai people wear a yellow cloth, which is the king's color. Young male celebrants present the flower of Father's Day, Canna (Dok put ta ruk sa), to their father, grandfather, or parents in the hope that they can become a man.
Notes
- ↑ Barth, Kelly, "First Father's Day service in 1908", Dominion Post (Morgantown, West Virginia), June 211987. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ↑ Smith, Vicki, "The first Father's Day", Martinsburg Journal (Martinsburg, West Virginia), June 152003. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ↑ Father's Day (United States). Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ↑ March 2008, Despite the Economy, Father's Day is Recession Proof, IBISWorld
- ↑ Kerry Tilby (June 2007). Fathers Day. Kiwi Families. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ↑ "Argentina, el origen del Día del Padre, ayer Google en español lo tuvo en su Portal", 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ↑ ^ a b c "Sesiones ordinarias 2004 Orden del día nº1798: Día del Padre. Institúyese como tal el día 24 de agosto de cada año.". Cámara de Diputados de la Nación (2008-11-07). Retrieved on 2008-06-07. "la presión de diversos grupos determinó el “olvido” de incluir esta disposición en el calendario escolar a partir de 1957, y la omisión fue aprovechada para imponer el tercer domingo de junio como el Día del Padre norteamericano, en homenaje a mister John Bruce Dodd (...) instituir el día 24 de agosto como el destinado a la celebración del Día del Padre en homenaje al general José de San Martín, padre de la patria."
- ↑ name="2004argentina"
- ↑ Día del Padre (Estado del trámite del proyecto de ley). Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ↑ Rodolfo Delgado Valverde. Proyecto de Ley. Celebración del 19 de Marzo como Día del Padre. Expediente 15911..
- ↑ Presentan en Costa Rica proyecto de ley para celebrar día del padre el día de San José. ACI Prensa (2005-05-26).
- ↑ "Father's Day and Vatertag", About.com.
- ↑ "Don't get drunk on Father's Day, German minister urges", yahoo.com.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Schmidt, Leigh Eric (1995). Consumer Rites: The Buying & Selling of American Holidays. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691029801
- Sechrist, Elizabeth Hough (1965). Red Letter Days: A Book of Holiday Customs. Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Co. OCLC 492111
- Travers, Len (2006). Encyclopedia of American Holidays and National Days. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313331305
External links
| |||||||
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
