Almost all over the world, a Father's Day exists to honor and commemorate fathers or forefathers. In Christian/Catholic tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day (March 19). Other cultures have different days to celebrate their fathers, and even in many traditionally Christian/Catholic countries a more 'secular/non-religious' Father's day is also held.
HISTORY
The history of Father's Day is very interesting. The thought for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. The idea of having the Father's Day came to the mind of Sonora Smart while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.
After the death of her mother, she along with her siblings was raised by her father, William Jackson Smart. Sonora wanted to tell her father how special he was. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
The National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City in 1926. A Joint Resolution of Congress recognized the Father's day in 1956 and in 1966 President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. Thus, the Father's Day was born in memory and appreciation by a daughter who believed that her father and all other fathers should be honored with a special day.
In the United States, the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd whose father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, had as a single parent raised 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, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday in June. Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. Woodrow Wilson was personally so feted by his family in 1916, and Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. The all-male U.S. Congress, however, was mindful that passing a measure so favorable to males could be seen as a conflict of interest. Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday in 1966, but the holiday was not officially recognized until the presidency of Richard Nixon in 1972.
Almost all over the world, a Father's Day exists to honor and commemorate fathers or forefathers. In Christian/Catholic tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day (March 19). Other cultures have different days to celebrate their fathers, and even in many traditionally Christian/Catholic countries a more 'secular/non-religious' Father's day is also held.
AROUND THE WORLD
Austria: second Sunday in June
Australia and New Zealand: the first Sunday in September
Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, Malta: the third Sunday in June.
Belgium: St Joseph's day (which is March 19), and the second Sunday in June ("Secular")
Brazil: the second Sunday in August
Bulgaria: June 20
Denmark: June 5, same day as Constitution Day
Germany: on Ascension Day (originally intended by socialists to replace the Christian holiday, but now the two are generally combined)
Korea, Republic of: May 8, Parents' Day.
Lithuania: the first Sunday in June
Republic of China (Taiwan): August 8
The word for the date, ba ba, (8/8) is a homophone of the word for father in Mandarin Chinese, "°Ö°Ö" b¨¤ba.
Scandinavia (Including Finland): the second Sunday in November
Portugal, Spain: March 19
Thailand: December 5, birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
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Source: Wikipedia
