Father's Day

Father's Day is supposed to be a day to celebrate fatherhood and parenting by males, as Mother's Day celebrates motherhood and mothering. Retailers encourage the giving of hardware, tools and other suitable gifts on the day.

History

The driving force behind the establishment of a celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd[?] whose father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart[?], had raised his six children as a single parent in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, for the celebration, the deferal to the third Sunday in June was a simple case of her not providing the organizers enough time to make arrangements. Unofficial support was immediate and widespread, and included William Jennings Bryan. Woodrow Wilson was personally so feted by his family in 1916, and Calvin Coolidge recommended it in 1924. The all male U. S. Congress, however, was mindful that to pass a such measure that was so favorable to males could be seen as a conflict of interest. The effect was that the day was not officially recognized until the presidency of Richard Nixon in 1972.

Date

Father's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but not always on the same day.

• Canada and Belgium: the second Sunday in June
• The USA, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands: the third Sunday in June
• Australia and New Zealand: the first Sunday in September
• Taiwan: August 8

  The date, ba ba, (八八) are homophones with the word for father in Mandarin Chinese, baba (爸爸).