( 
)Father's Day is celebrated in at least 75 countries around the world, in one form or another. For Example in Thailand, Father's Day is celebrated on the birthday of the King. Rama IX (the current King) was born on December 5th. In Germany it really isn't celebrated, but on Ascension Day (a federal holiday on the Thursday 40 days after Easter) there is a males-only hiking/drinking/eating tour called Mannertag (men's day), Herrentag (gentlemen's day) or Vatertag (Father's Day).
In America Father's Day was started in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day by celebrating fatherhood and male parenting. It honors and commemorates fathers and forefathers.
How it all came about is a little sketchy, but it is believed the first Father's Day was held in Washington state on June 19th, and in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5th, 1908. Fairmont is only about 15 miles from Grafton where the first Mother's Day was celebrated the previous May.
The biggest force behind the establishment of the holiday was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, who wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, who was a single parent to his six children after his wife died in childbirth. In her eyes he was a courageous, selfless, and loving man who deserved to be honored.
Support for the idea came from people such as William Jennings Bryan and President Woodrow Wilson. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge made it a nationwide event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." In 1926 a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City and in 1956 Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress. President Lyndon Johnson made it a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday in June in 1966. But it was not until President Richard Nixon, that it became a national observance in 1972.
Although more recently Father's Day seems to center around gift-giving (supported by the retail industry); school aged children often participate in projects to make gifts and/or cards for both Mother's and Father's Day. However it is celebrated in the United States, the third Sunday in June is set aside to give gifts, treats, special dinners, etc to DAD ~ just to make him feel special
In America Father's Day was started in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day by celebrating fatherhood and male parenting. It honors and commemorates fathers and forefathers.
How it all came about is a little sketchy, but it is believed the first Father's Day was held in Washington state on June 19th, and in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5th, 1908. Fairmont is only about 15 miles from Grafton where the first Mother's Day was celebrated the previous May.
The biggest force behind the establishment of the holiday was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, who wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, who was a single parent to his six children after his wife died in childbirth. In her eyes he was a courageous, selfless, and loving man who deserved to be honored.
Support for the idea came from people such as William Jennings Bryan and President Woodrow Wilson. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge made it a nationwide event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." In 1926 a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City and in 1956 Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress. President Lyndon Johnson made it a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday in June in 1966. But it was not until President Richard Nixon, that it became a national observance in 1972.
Although more recently Father's Day seems to center around gift-giving (supported by the retail industry); school aged children often participate in projects to make gifts and/or cards for both Mother's and Father's Day. However it is celebrated in the United States, the third Sunday in June is set aside to give gifts, treats, special dinners, etc to DAD ~ just to make him feel special
Guide created: 06/05/08
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