Origin of Father’s Day
Children have always celebrated their
father’s since the beginning of time. Like the origins of Mother’s Day,
ancient civilizations celebrated their gods, including a celebration for
the king of their gods, Zeus. The holiday was called the Festival of
Zeus (and usually marked the time of the ancient Olympic competitions).
Since the beginning of Early Catholicism, the celebration of the
“father” of Jesus was also celebrated on St. Joseph’s Day (which
coincidentally falls out around Father’s Day, on June 19th).
Father’s Day celebration as we know it today was created in the early
part of the 19th Century. Its origins come from three
different people, Harry Meek, Dr. Robert Webb and Mrs. John Bruce Dodd.
Dr. Robert Webb
Dr. Robert Webb conducted the first
Father’s Day service in 1908 in Fairmount West Virginia (Central Church
of Fairmont).
Mrs. John Bruce Dodd
Three thousand miles away, Sonora Amart
Dodd (Mrs. John Bruce Dodd) promoted the Father’s Day concept in Spokane
Washington. She came up with this concept to commemorate her father,
William Jackson Smart, a widower and Civil War Veteran, who raised six
children by himself (her mother died in childbirth). The idea came to
her while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. She promoted the
Father’s Day idea with much vigor. With the help of the Spokane
Ministerial Association, the Spokane YMCA and other organizations and
politicians, Spokane became the first city to “officially” celebrate a
Father’s Day, when it did so on June 19th, 1910 (note: they
were originally going to celebrate it on June 5th, the date
of her father’s birthday, but organizers did not have the time to get it
together until the 19th).
Harry Meek
Harry Meek has been credited by some as the
creator of Father’s Day and in his position as President of the Chicago
Uptown Lion’s Club conducted Father’s Day events. The Lion’s Club chose
the third Sunday of June to celebrate the holiday because it was close
to the birthday of Harry Meek. However, the first celebration was not
conducted until five years later.
National Support of Father’s
Day
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge gave
support to establish a national day to honor fathers. He wanted a day
that “would establish more intimate relations between fathers and their
children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their
obligations.“ This lead to the creation of a National Father’s Day
Committee which met for the first time two years later in New York City.
In 1956, Father’s Day is recognized by a
Joint Resolution of Congress.
In 1966, the first presidential
proclamation establishing a national Father’s Day was made in 1966 by
President Lyndon Johnson. It proclaimed the third Sunday of June to be
Father’s Day.
In 1972, Father’s Day became “officially”
recognized as a holiday when President Richard Nixon signed a law that
named the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.
Dates for Father’s Day
2005: Sun, June 19
2006: Sun, June 18
2007: Sun, June 17
Father’s Day Traditions and Celebrations
One custom arising from the early
celebrations was the wearing of flowers on Father’s Day. White flowers
honored a living father and red flowers for a deceased father. Today,
wearing of flowers is not as prevalent – but many people still do.
Neck ties have become a favorite gift for
Father’s Day. The sales of neckties rise to over 800 million during the
time of the holiday.
Father’s Day cards are usually given on
Father’s Day. An interesting fact is that over 90% of the cards are
bought by women and most are usually humorous.
International Observation of Father’s Day
The United States is one of the only
countries to officially recognize a national holiday for fathers.
However, other countries do celebrate fathers officially and
unofficially.
Celebratory Dates Around the World
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March
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May/June
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June
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June 5th: Denmark
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June 20th: Bulgaria
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First Sunday in June: Lithuania
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Second Sunday in June: Austria,
Belgium
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Third Sunday in June: Argentina,
Canada, Chile, France, Japan, Netherlands, United States, United
Kingdom, Malta
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August
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September
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November
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December
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Father's
Day History and Facts
Happy
Father's Day (Morning-glow.com): Information,
activities and links relating to the holiday.
Timeline
of Father's Day History (Infoplease.com):
A timeline of the holiday with many good facts throughout.
Happy
Father's Day (NetGlimpse.com):
Information and links about Father's Day.
Celebrate
Father's Day (About.com):
Article on the origins and history of Father's Day.
Fathers
Fathers.com
(official): Provide information on
"fathering and to develop practical resources for dads in nearly
every fathering situation."
Father's
World (official): A site for and about fathers.
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When we want to show love for a father, sometimes we need
to give the perfect gift. Not just any gift will do. It needs to
have meaning and show the love you feel. We could suggest
-
going to
our Type of Person section to find gifts for that particular
father
-
take
our advice in this column, or
-
take a look at the gifts listed below
by our
affiliates or our own store below.
General Gifts:
-
The traditional father's day neck tie -
however, get one with a theme
-
A series of books to read on a subject
your father enjoys
-
Cigar of the Month Club for smokers
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Personalized Mugs & other items
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CDs of your father's favorite music
-
Subscription to a magazine
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Tickets to a Sporting Game
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Take your father to dinner
More Expensive Gifts:
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Power Tools (find out what they want
first)
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Lawn Mower
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Season Tickets to a sports team
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Take the whole family on a cruise (it
is a gift for everyone)
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Surf & Turf dinner for the family
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Exercise Equipment
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New Set of Golf Clubs
And don't forget to also buy them the
greeting card!
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