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Saturday 24 January 2015

Father's Day

The idea for a father's day originated when Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington, heard a sermon on Mother's Day in 1909 and was inspired to create a date to honor fathers like her own, a Civil War veteran. Through her efforts, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910.

Although Dodd initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, the Spokane pastors did not have enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.

Dodd used the "Fathers' Day" spelling on her original petition for the holiday, but the spelling "Father's Day" was already being used in 1913 when a bill was introduced to the U.S. Congress as the first attempt to establish the holiday.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized.

President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day in 1966. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

Over 87 million cards are sent each year on Father's Day, making it the fourth most popular day for sending cards.


In the Roman Catholic tradition, Fathers are celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, commonly called Feast of Saint Joseph, March 19, though in certain countries Father's Day has become a secular celebration. For that reason, Father's Day is celebrated on March 19th in a number of Catholic countries including Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Father's Day in Thailand is celebrated on December 5th each year to commemorate the birthday of the late King, Bhumipol Adulyadej (December 5, 1927 – October 13, 2016). King Bhumibol was highly respected by the Thai people and was seen as a father figure to the nation. After his passing in 2016, his birthday was designated as Father's Day as a way to honor his legacy and continue to celebrate his contributions to Thailand.

 King Bhumibol Adulyadej 

 In Australia, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September.

 In Taiwan Father's Day is celebrated on August 8 because the Chinese for eight is ‘ba’, so 8/8, ‘ba-ba’, sounds like a colloquial word for father.

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