In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph’s Day since the Middle Ages. In the United States, Father’s Day was founded in the state of Washington by Sonora Smart Dodd in 1910. Father’s Day is a recognized public holiday in Lithuania and some parts of Spain and was regarded as such in Italy until 1977. It is a national holiday in Estonia, Samoa, and equivalently in South Korea, where it is celebrated as Parents’ Day. Sikhs celebrate Father’s Day on 29 December, the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh.
Mind you, Father’s Day is tomorrow Sunday 16th June 2024. So start getting a gift for your father or the father Figure(s) in your life. Or maybe plan a surprise outing for him or them.
The History
This feast can fall between 11 and 17 December. This feast includes the ancestors of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and various prophets.
A customary day for the celebration of fatherhood in Catholic Europe is known to date back to at least 1508. It is usually celebrated on 19 March, as the feast day of Saint Joseph, who is referred to as the fatherly Nutritor Domini (“Nourisher of the Lord”) in Catholicism and “the putative father of Jesus” in southern European tradition. This celebration was brought to the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese. The Catholic Church actively supported the custom of a celebration of fatherhood on St. Joseph’s Day from either the last years of the 14th century or from the early 15th century apparently on the initiative of the Franciscans.
In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the celebration of fatherhood is also observed on St Joseph’s Day, but the Copts observe this on 20 July. The Coptic celebration may date back to the fifth century.
In the United States, whether to celebrate this day nationwide or not is a matter for debate. In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton proposed the day to honor those men who had died in a mining accident in the US. Though it was not accepted then, in 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd, who along with her five brothers was raised by her father alone, after attending Mother’s Day in a church, convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association to celebrate Father’s Day nationwide.
In addition to Father’s Day, International Men’s Day is celebrated in many countries on 19 November in honor of both men and boys.
Why Should We Celebrate Father’s Day?
Despite the original controversy surrounding Father’s Day, society has had a growing awareness of the importance of fathers. In the early 1900s, fathers did not receive much credit for the influence they had on their children. In fact, most psychological studies completed on parenting focused their research on mothers. However, in the 1970s, psychologists started recognizing the importance of fathers.
In recent studies, it has been found that “children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections…Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievement among adolescents.”
Basically, children who have involved fathers are more likely to be healthy emotionally, socially, and intellectually. Even when children face crises, having an involved father helps children regulate their behavior and feelings better than children whose fathers are absent.
In addition, children who have absent fathers are more likely to engage in at-risk behaviors. This is why there has been a push for male mentors in elementary schools.
While mothers have been recognized as the primary caretakers, times are definitely changing as more women are offered more opportunities in the workplace and fathers are becoming more involved in raising children rather than primarily focusing on providing for the family. Fathers today work hard to take care of their families by providing for their needs, helping with household chores, and spending time with their children.
But sometimes, our fathers are not around to celebrate. If your father has passed or is alive but absent, or you do not have a husband and children, you can still honor a grandfather or male mentor. Think about another man who has positively influenced your life (such as a teacher, coach, or pastor) to whom you can wish a happy Father’s Day. You can even celebrate a friend or a neighbor who is a dad on Father’s Day.
Sometimes, we do not have positive relationships or views of fatherhood from our earthly fathers. If you suffered abuse or neglect at the hands of your father, spend the day focusing on your heavenly Father Who loves you and is the Why Do We Celebrate Father’s Day?
According to the History Channel, Sonora Smart Dodd, a woman from Spokane, Washington, was the founder of Father’s Day. She was one of six children raised by her widowed father. Her mother had died during the birth of her sixth child. Since Mother’s Day was established in 1908, Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to have an equivalent holiday for fathers. To promote her idea of celebrating fathers for a day, Sonora visited local churches and the YMCA and met with shopkeepers and government officials to gain support for this new tradition. Because of her hard work, Sonora found success when Washington State celebrated the first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.
Even though Mother’s Day gained momentum right away, it would take years for Father’s Day to be nationally recognized as a holiday. In 1916 and 1924, Presidents Wilson and Calvin Coolidge showed support for Father’s Day. President Coolidge even urged state governments to celebrate this holiday. But it was not until decades later that Father’s Day would be recognized as a national holiday. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. In 1972, President Nixon finally established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day.
One reason it took so long for Father’s Day to become a national holiday was because of a lack of support among men. Many men felt the holiday traditions of gift-giving and flowers did not celebrate their masculinity. Some also thought it was a way for stores to commercialize another holiday and to pressure families into spending more money by buying unnecessary gifts. In the 1920s and 1930s, a movement actually attempted to eradicate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The movement’s supporters called for replacing those holidays with Parent’s Day, in which both parents are celebrated. Despite the movement’s efforts, Mother’s Day stayed on the calendar, and perfect Father—a Father Who will never hurt you and is always for you.
Father’s Day would eventually be added to the national calendar.
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Source: Quora, ChaseOaks Church, Wikipedia, Metamind Academy
