Father’s Day is especially observed to honor the father figures much like other special days where we express our love and care for family members like Mother’s Day, Grandparents Day, and Siblings Day.
The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington. However, it was not until 1972–58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States.
This special day assigned to celebrate the father’s sacrifice and their love for children, is celebrated in 21 countries. In India, Father’s Day will be celebrated on June 21, 2020.
However, in many countries, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Among them are the USA, Canada, the UK, France, India, China, Japan, the Philippines, and South Africa. It is also widely celebrated on other days:
- February 23- Russia, Defender of the Fatherland Day
- March 19- Italy as Festa del Papà in Italy, Dia do Pai in Portugal and Día del Padre in Spain, Ascension Day in Germany.
- First Sunday in June- Switzerland,
- Second Sunday in June- Austria and Belgium,
- June 21, the first day of summer- Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan & Syria,
- First Sunday of September- Australia, New Zealand
- Second Saturday of November- Scandinavian countries.
On this occasion, here are some quirky and fun facts about Father’s Day:
- According to greetings card makers Hallmark, Father’s Day is the fifth-largest card-sending holiday.
- The most popular Father’s Day present is a tie.
- In Thailand, Father’s Day is set as the birthday of the king. The people celebrate the day by giving their father or grandfather a Canna flower (Dok put ta ruk sa) which is considered to be a masculine flower.
- Germany celebrates the day by getting drunk with wagons of beer and indulging in regional food. Police and emergency services are in high alert during the day.
- Father’s Day was invented by American Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd who wanted to honor her father, a veteran who had, as a single parent, raised his six children.
- The number of Canadian stay-at-home dads has tripled in the last 25 years. Today, 12 percent of the country’s two-parent families see Dad changing the diapers and Mom at work.
- The rose is the official flower for Father’s Day. Wearing a red rose signifies a living father, while a white one represents a deceased father.
- The oldest first-time father, Ramit Raghav, was 94 when his baby boy was born to him and his then-52-year-old wife in October 2010 in Haryana, India.
