Father’s Day is usually celebrated on the third Sunday in the month of June. It is celebrated to honor and respect fathers. The dates may vary slightly in other countries.
On this day people buy gifts for their fathers or treat them to special things like a dinner at a fancy restaurant or sponsor a vacation abroad, etc.
Father’s Day was first observed on July 5, 1908, by Dr. Robert Webb of West Virginia at the central Methodist church of Fairmont. Later, a Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd thought of having a similar celebration for her father in 1909, while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in church. Her father, Henry Jackson Smart, had raised her after her mother died young.
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He had made a lot of sacrifices for her sake and she saw him as a brave, selfless, and affectionate man. Wanting to let her father know how special he was to her, she organized a tribute for her father on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. Her father was born in June.
After many years, Father’s Day became an official holiday. Actually many people were amused by the idea of a Father’s Day though they seemed to have no issue with Mother’s Day. It was even a target of sarcasm, satire and parody.
Local newspapers made fun of it. It might even have disappeared from the national calendar. A Bill was passed in 1913, recognizing the day. Finally in 1924, President Calvin announced that the third Sunday in June would be celebrated as Father’s Day.
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People buy roses on Father’s Day, a red one for fathers who are alive and a white one for deceased fathers. Though such days are largely symbolic, many people who have received much affection and support from their parents are enthusiastic about celebrating such days. Like Mother’s Day it has also become much commercialized.
