From inception to celebration: Tracing the history of Father's Day

Do you want to learn about the history of Father’s Day and how this day became a national holiday? Father’s Day is a meaningful day that honors fathers, as well as represents love and appreciation for everything they do. However, the development of this day went through many different stages, and it was not until many years later that it was declared a national holiday. Please join TeeNavi to learn more details about this meaningful day through the following article!

Personalized Gifts

Personalized Custom Name Dental Squad Teeth Witch Halloween T-Shirt

Personalized Custom Photo Jesus Christ Kissing Dog Lovers Poster

Personalized The Influence Of A Good Teacher Can Never Be Erased Pencil Leopard Tumbler

Personalized Green Tractor On Farm God Blessed The Broken Road That Led Me Straight To You Poster

Personalized Couple With One-finger Hold My Angel Husband I Was Supposed To Spend The Rest Of My Life With You Poster

Personalized Flamingo Always Look On The Pink Side Of Life Tumbler

Personalized Nana Little Pumpkin Autumn Fall Grandma Mom T-Shirt

Personalized This Lady Is One Awesome Mom Butterfly Tumbler

Personalized Best Teacher Ever Apple Glitter Tumbler

Personalized Love Being Called Grandma 4th Of July T-Shirt

Personalized Mom Grandma Great Grandma T-Shirt

Personalized I Love My Girlfriend Heart Valentine’s Day T-Shirt

USE CODE: PER25 | 25% OFF SITEWIDE

SHOP NOW

1. When is Father Day

Father’s Day is a day to celebrate and honor fathers and their influence in our lives. You do not, however, have to honor only your biological father on this holiday. You can honor your grandfathers, stepfathers, adoptive fathers, and other father figures. The first thing we need to learn when talking about history of Father’s Day is when is Father’s Day. Although it is not a federal holiday, Father’s Day is observed every third Sunday in June. This year, this meaningful day falls on June 16th.

>>>> CLICK HERE: 25+ best books for Father’s Day recommendations

2. The origin history of Father’s Day

Mother’s Day has a long history, dating back to the 1860s, and was declared a national holiday in 1914. Then it can be said that the celebration of mothers paved the way for the beginning of Father’s Day. Father’s Day originated in 1908, when a church in West Virginia held a sermon to honor 362 men killed the previous year in a coal mine explosion. This was the country’s first event solely dedicated to fathers, but it was only a one-time occurrence, at least within that community.

The following year, however, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd began her efforts to make Father’s Day a national holiday. In 1898, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd was only 16 years old when her mother passed away. Her newly widowed father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was left to raise Dodd and her five younger brothers alone in their Spokane, Washington, home. In 1909, Dodd went to a church service to celebrate Mother’s Day, which was a growing holiday at the time. Listening to the sermon, she decided there should be a day to honor fathers, especially her own.

background Father Day — Something about the Father Day origin

Inspired, Dodd created a petition for the first Father’s Day, arguing that it should be observed on her father’s birthday in early June. Even though the petition only received two signatures, Dodd persuaded several local church communities to participate. However, they only accepted on the condition that the date be moved to the third Sunday in June to allow them more time to prepare.

The resulting celebration in Spokane marked the beginning of Dodd’s nearly lifelong mission to elevate Father’s Day to national prominence. Over the next half-century, Dodd will travel across the United States, speaking and campaigning for Father’s Day. That’s all the information about the origin history of Father’s Day that you can refer to.

>>>> READ MORE: The ultimate playlist of best Fathers Day songs for 2024

3. Father’s Day Controversy

Furthermore, Father’s Day was not immediately accepted when it was first proposed. Why was the Father’s Day began not very favorable? Mother’s Day came first and was officially recognized in 1914. So, men in the early 1900s associated such a tribute with women and found the idea too effeminate for their tastes. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson described Mother’s Day as a way to honor “that tender, gentle army—the mothers of America”.

Along with that, the idea of Father’s Day was viewed by men comparably to Mother’s Day, which was highly favored by florists. Fathers, however, did not find it to be as sentimental. In the words of one historian, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products—often paid for by the father himself”.

Furthermore, according to Lawrence R. Samuel, author of American Fatherhood: A Cultural History, men played a different role in the family during the first half of the century. It was patriarchal, so they thought a special day to celebrate fatherhood was a silly idea, especially since mothers were underappreciated. However, this sentiment changed over time for a variety of reasons.

4. How Father’s Day became a national holiday

What we’ll learn next about the history of Father’s Day is how it became a national holiday. Mother’s Day was declared a national holiday in 1914, but Father’s Day did not receive the same recognition until decades later. Throughout the years, US presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Lyndon B. Johnson all expressed support for the holiday, but none of them passed legislation to ratify it.

Father's Day began — The background of Father’s Day became a national holiday

In 1970, Congress passed Joint Resolution 187, which directed citizens to “offer public and private expressions of such day to the abiding love and gratitude which they bear for their fathers”. And in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the resolution, making Father’s Day a national holiday.

>>>> LOOKING FOR MORE: 40 the best Father’s Day movies to enjoy with dad

5. How Father’s Day celebrated on the world

Now that you know the history of Father’s Day, do you know how Father’s Day is celebrated in the world? Father’s Day is observed on different dates in different countries. For example, in Europe, the United States, and the majority of other countries, the holiday is observed on the third Sunday of June. In many Catholic countries, especially in Latin America, fathers are celebrated on St. Joseph’s Day, which falls on March 19. Many Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, celebrate Father’s Day on the first Sunday in September.

The above article gives you complete information about the history of Father’s Day that you can refer to. They include when Father’s Day is, how about its origin history, what the controversy of this day is about, and how it became a national holiday. Hopefully, you will gain a lot of useful knowledge about this meaningful day through the article. If you have any problems and need support, please contact TeeNavi immediately!

>>>> RELATED TOPIC: 22+ funny Father Day games ideas to play with dad