Father’s Day Celebration around the World: Fun Facts
Every third Sunday of June, daughters, sons, and families plan to celebrate Father’s Day; a day set aside to honor our fathers. While many people are familiar with this day, most do not know the story behind its origin.
Father’s Day is an idea that dates back to the 1900s when Sonora Dodd got the idea to start a Father’s Day while listening to a mother’s day speech. She wanted to find a way to honor her father, who she felt deserved his own special day on the calendar for raising six kids as a widowed farmer.
On June 19, 1910, the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, coinciding with Sonora’s dad’s birthday. For the next five decades, the day was celebrated socially on the same day every June.
It was not until 1966 that a presidential proclamation declared every third Sunday of June to be the official Father’s Day. In 1972, a public law was put in place, making Father’s Day permanent.
When Is Father’s Day Celebrated Across the Globe?
While Father’s Day in America, UK, India, and the Netherlands is celebrated in June, some countries have different dates for the celebration. For instance, Father’s Day in Taiwan is celebrated on August 8 because 8-8 sounds the same as ‘father’ in mandarin, while Portugal, Spain, Italy, and other Christian countries celebrate the day on March 19.
In Germany, Father’s Day is also referred to as Men’s day, marked by men on the streets pulling wagons filled with drinks and food as they eat and celebrate all over town. The day ends with a men’s picnic.
In Italy, Father’s Day is also referred to as St. Joseph’s day, which is marked with big parties. Music, dancing, and food are the highlight of the day. You can expect yummy treats such as bigné (cream puffs), zeppole (Italian doughnuts), and frittelle (fritters).
In Mexico, Father’s Day is celebrated with a 21km Father’s Day run to raise funds used to conserve the forests in Mexico.
In Thailand, families mark Father’s Day on the birthday of the reigning king. It is tradition for kids to present their fathers with yellow canna flowers and wear yellow clothes as part of the celebration.
If you love barbeques and a good drink, you will want to be in Brazil for the Father’s Day celebration. Here, families come together for a special barbeque event known as Churrasco.
In Croatia, Father’s Day is celebrated on March 19 in line with the Roman Catholic Traditions, falling on the Dan svetog Josipa (Saint Joseph’s day) celebrations.
Fun Facts about Father’s Day around the Globe
United States
The best way to understand the significance of Father’s Day in the U.S. is to look at Father’s Day spending statistics for every Father’s Day. While not everyone is a fan of Father’s Day in America, at least 75% of the population plans and celebrates this day, and the numbers do not lie.
For the more than 70.1 million fathers in the United States, Father’s Day is an important celebration. Americans are expected to spend more than 15 billion dollars on Father’s Day every year, with approximate spending of $133 per person. Most of the money is spent on clothes ($2.2b), electronic devices ($1.8b), and gift cards ($2.1b).
There are more than 95 million Father’s Day cards bought every year in the USA. This makes this occasion the 4th largest celebration in America marked by sending cards. Children account xfor more than 50% of all Father’s Day cards sent all over America, with 20% purchased by wives for their husbands.
30% of all Father’s Day cards go to grandfathers, brothers, uncles, and sons, among other special people.
Mr. Mom
With more than 150,000 stay-at-home dads in America, Mr. Mom has become a popular phenomenon commonly seen in parks across the states.
These are men with children under the age of 15 and have been out of the active workforce for more than a year to help care for their children and family. They take on the wife’s role in the home, hence the title Mr. Mom. Stay at home dads care for more than 287000 children.
According to statistics, at least 20% of preschoolers comprise kids with working moms and stay-at-home dads. Some families prefer to split childcare responsibilities, with most dads taking up evening and night shifts to care for kids while the wife works during the day. This makes them the primary caregivers for their pre-school kids.
Germany Celebrates Their Own Way
In Germany, Father’s Day (Männertag) is marked on the same day as Ascension Day. This is a Christian holiday celebrated 40 days after the Easter celebrations. Father’s Day is marked as a public holiday in the German calendar, which is usually a 4-day weekend full of outdoor Father’s Day celebrations, including a few beers for men of legal age.
Brazil Father’s Day
In Brazil, Father’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of August to honor S.T. Joachim, father to Virgin Mary, as per the Christian tradition. Children make special Father’s Day cards with thankful words for the fathers and father figures in their lives.
Father’s Day in Russia
In Russia, Father’s Day was initially a military celebration before it changed to a day to celebrate men. Over the years, this celebration has evolved to become the country’s annual day dedicated to dads. Since it is formed from a military background, the day is referred to as Defender of the Fatherland Day, celebrated on February 23 every year. It is marked by men’s parades open to members of the public.
Father’s Day in Norway, Iceland, and Sweden
Known as the Scandinavian countries, Father’s Day (Fars Dag) in Sweden, Norway, and Iceland is celebrated on the second Sunday of November. Initially, these countries marked Father’s Day in June before businesses advocated for the date to be moved to November, which is typically slow for their economy.
Whichever day Father’s Day falls in your country, remember to get your dad or father figure a gift they will relish for years to come.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
