Father’s Day (United States)

When is it celebrated?

In the United States, it is celebrated on the 3^rd Sunday of June.  It will be on June 16^th, in 2019.

Who celebrates it?

It is celebrated in the United States.  Other countries celebrate the holiday in their own way.

Where does it originate from?

There were a couple attempts to start a Father’s Day, after Mother’s Day was established.  One of the first known Father’s Days in the United States was celebrated in Washington in 1910.  It was started by Sonora Smart Dodd. She was raised by a single father and urged community officials and businesses to create a day to celebrate fathers.  The holiday waxed and waned for many years after that. Those against it wanted to create a Parent’s Day in place of Mother’s and Father’s Day, and didn’t like the commercialism associated with the holidays.  Many retailers wanted to increase buying during the Great Depression and WWII that they worked hard to promote the holiday. Finally, in 1972, President Nixon declared Father’s Day a federal holiday.

Father’s Day is celebrated on different days in other countries.   In Europe, Catholics celebrated the day on St. Joseph’s Day, which is March 19.

Symbols/Traditions:

Fathers are honored for Father’s Day by the following practices:

• Sending gifts or cards to your father
• Spending time together or talking on the phone
• Remembering fathers that have passed