Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a celebration of fathers that is recognized by countries’ all over the world. It was created after Mother’s Day and serves as a complimentary holiday to that day. While the majority of countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June, there are exceptions to that rule. It is celebrated on the first Sunday of June in Lithuania and Switzerland, and is celebrated on the second Sunday of June in Belgium and Austria.

History

The inauguration of Father’s Day is preceded by Mother’s Day by almost three years , but the commercial success of Mother’s Day is not the main reason that this holiday came into existence. 0n December 6, 1907, Father’s Day had its first observance in Fairmont, W.V while Grace Golden Clayton was holding a service memorializing her late father at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church. At the same time the service was going on, an explosion occurred at the Monongah Mines killing over 360 men, of which over 249 of them were fathers. Grace then recommended to her pastor that he honor the loss of all of these father’s.

After this initial honoring of father’s, there wouldn’t be an observance of the holiday for many years. While there were sporadic celebrations of male parents throughout the country, there wasn’t an official observance of it until July of 1910 when the Governor of Washington State declared the first day honoring male parents. It was then another fifty-eight years before it officially became a holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon declared it a national observance holiday.

Over the years, there has been much controversy over the commercialization of this holiday. Many people felt that this day was more about lining the pocket books of retailers and less about honoring men who are parents. This resulted in a number of protests during the late 20s and early 30s calling for an end to the commercialization of this day by combining it with Mother’s day and calling it Parent’s Day. However, the Great Depression eventually ended up thwarting this initiative because many of the nation’s leaders felt that the day was necessary to drum up sales for retailers.

Customs And Celebrations

Most people celebrate the holiday by giving their father a special day of their own that often includes gifts, breakfast served to him in bed and by giving him time to himself. Other people treat the day as a family event and use it as an opportunity to get everyone together.

Conclusion

Father’s Day is a special day that thanks father’s for their hard work and their dedication to their families. It is also a day to remember the role that father’s play in all of our lives.