Teacher
Guide To Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday set aside to celebrate all of the dads, grandfathers, brothers and uncles who are father figures, and to show appreciation for these males by expressing how thankful we are for them. The first time Father's Day was celebrated was on June 19, 1910 by Sonora Dodd who lived with a Civil War veteran single father with five brothers and sisters. Their mother had died, and Ms. Dodd wanted to show how much she appreciated her father's commitment to her and her siblings and so she started the tradition of Father's Day. There was already a day for mothers, but she wanted a day set aside for fathers. However the idea did not immediately catch on as many people did not want to accept the idea that fathers were just as important as mothers.
The reason it took so many years to make Father's Day a national holiday was even though many people celebrated Mother's Day, they felt a day to celebrate fatherhood was not as important. However, as more people embraced fatherhood and gave fathers the respect they deserved it was important to give them a holiday to show appreciation. It was not until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a proclamation making Father's Day a nationally recognized holiday. President Richard Nixon made the holiday official in 1972. Father's Day is celebrated every year on the third Sunday of June.
Families spend Father's Day with the special males in their lives, by having traditional meals made especially for Dad, such as breakfasts and barbecues. Father's Day also means golf tournaments, father-daughter dances and other sporting events hosted around the father figures. Gift giving is an important part of Father's Day and many stores specialize in electronics and gadgets that are customized for Father's Day. Cards are also exchanged, and many communities host special dinners to appreciate the fathers around the area.
Here in United States there are 64.3 million dads, and fourteen percent of them stay at home and keep their children, a role that is usually taken by mothers. This has changed over the years as more mothers and fathers are both working away from the home, and therefore the father figures are becoming more important and respected in their role. Of all the soldiers in the United States Army, one in twelve are fathers meaning that they are often away from their families serving others.
Nowadays, Father's Day is celebrated in over one-third of all the countries around the world. In, Australia, Father's Day is celebrated but it is not a public holiday. Also since Australia is located in the southern hemisphere the holiday is on the first Sunday in September. In Germany, Father's Day is on the same day as Ascension Day, and the males celebrate with a special tradition of hiking while pulling small wagons by hand that are filled with wine and good food. Roman Catholics celebrate Father's Day but they call it St. Joseph's Day but still celebrate the joys of father figures, and show appreciation for fathers on this day.