On the third Sunday in June Britain and many other countries around the world celebrate. Father's Day. The international day of dads has been going since the early 20th century.
Nowadays it is popular to buy presents and cards for dads, but Fathers Day has only been celebrated in Britain since after the Second World War, folk historian Steven Round writes in The English Year. Father's Day was recognised as a holiday in the USA under the Richard Nixon presidency in 1972.
But the idea to celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday in June came from the USA in the early 20th century. Now dozens of countries honour fathers, grandfathers and stepfathers on the same day. They include the UK, Ireland, Japan and Canada.
Read more: Father's Day gifts to treat your dad with budgets of £10, £20, £30 and £40
Father's Day is on Sunday June 19, 2022.
How did Fathers Day start?
The source of the celebration of dads is disputed, although it is accepted to have started in the USA.
One version has it beginning in Fairmount, West Virginia, thanks to a woman called Grace Gordon Clayton. In 1908, she campaigned for her local service to honour dads following the Monongah mining disaster, the worst in US history which claimed the lives of 362 men the year before.
The other tale cites US Civil War veteran Sonora Smart Dodd as the champion of Father’s Day. The daughter from Arkansas wanted to honour her dad, who raised his six children alone after his wife died in childbirth.
In 1910, the first Father’s Day celebration by Ms Dodd was staged in Spokane, Washington. It is not known exactly when the tradition made its way to the UK but it is thought to be some time after the Second World War.
Is Father’s Day officially recognised by the USA?
Not long after our two Father’s Day champions (allegedly) got to work, Congress officially designated the third Sunday of June for the celebration in 1913. But it was not until 1972 when the recognition of Father’s Day was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
In the UK, Father's Day is not recognised as a public holiday, although it does always fall on a Sunday.
Where is Father's Day celebrated?
Father’s Day is celebrated widely across the globe - but not necessarily on this date. While the UK among many others like Ireland, Japan, and India follows America’s lead, others have assigned their own days to celebrate dads.
For Italy and Spain, Festa del Papà and Día del Padre are celebrated on March 19. Brazil marks the occasion on the second Sunday in August, while Australia and New Zealand hold their versions on the first Sunday in September.
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