Father's Day Celebrations
On July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day.” However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States. On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday. The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910. Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. However, many men continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, 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.”
Around the world, people celebrate Fathers Day to honor dads and to express their love and affection for them. It may be noted that the date of Father's Day festival in not fixed and different countries around the world celebrate Father Day on different times of the year. As a Father's Day tradition, people in US and Canada, along with their Dads, pay tribute to grandfather, stepfather, foster father, uncle or men who plays the Father figure role in their lives. The tradition of celebrating Fathers Day in Canada has been influenced from US. People in Canada too wear roses to express gratitude and love for their father as their US counterparts. The event is popularly observed as a time for family reunion as well, with children staying away from families coming together to celebrate the day with their fathers and other loved ones; Paying tribute by giving out donations in the name of their fathers or by performing acts of service; Dining out. Business in restaurants and eating joints witness a huge rush on the occasion.
Sometimes, even the manner of Father's Day celebration differ, what is common everywhere though is the spirit of the festival. In countries across the globe people take opportunity of Father's Day to honor their dad with cards, chocolates, flowers and other gift of love. Spending time with dad and indulging in fun-filled activities is another common feature of Father's Day celebration around the world.
Several clubs, schools and cultural societies in United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, South Africa organize Fathers Day parties and get-togethers and provide people an opportunity to celebrate the day in a wide scale to stress the importance of Father's role in the development of the family and the society as a whole. The effort to spread a sense of responsibility and devotion to fathers are also made besides, children who in turn are encouraged to pay full attention and respect to their father.
The occasion in Australia is celebrated privately in households. Breakfast meeting for families is also a common affair of Father Day celebrations in Australia.
Many in South Africa go out for picnic, fishing or just for a meal in restaurant.
Celebrating Father's Day is a new concept in India and highly influenced by the U.S. celebrations. It is perhaps not even a decade old. The idea of honoring fathers has been appreciated by Indians as well to a large extent like all other countries. The event is marked by expressing gratitude for fathers. Father's Day celebration in India takes place in the same way as in UK or US though in a limited way. Awareness about Fathers Day festival is much greater in metropolitan cities and bigger towns due to the greater exposure of people to the western cultures and is fast catching up with people in smaller towns and cities of India as well. The idea is to instill noble values and principles in children to pay due respect to the elders especially dads and understand the importance of a family.