History of Father’s Day
Father’s Day 2022
On Sunday, June 19th, the many appreciated Fathers across Ireland, and the UK will be served breakfast in bed, given beautifully written cards, hugs, and will get to put their feet up for the day… (that’s realistic, right?). We’ve grown familiar with Father’s Day as a tradition, but where does it come from?
So, Where does Father’s Day Come From?
Though Mother’s Day had a straightforward declaration through Christians visiting their ‘mother church’ during Lent, Father’s Day wasn’t so quick to become official. There was a struggle in acceptance for the holiday for some years, due to the general association with femininity and gentleness, since Mother’s Day was already far more familiar. Some saw the idea of Father’s Day as an attempt to tame one’s manliness with the same traditions and symbolism associated with Mother’s Day, such as flowers, and the general sentimental appeal.
It all started in 1909. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington was the daughter of William Jackson Smart. Dodd’s father was a war veteran, and her mother having died during childbirth meant that he had the responsibility of singlehandedly raising his daughter and her five siblings. In May of 1909, Dodd observed a Mother’s Day Sermon in church, and felt that it outweighed appreciation of fathers.
Dodd thought it only necessary that there should be a national holiday dedicated to the appreciation of important male role models in our lives. After negotiations with the Mayor of Spokane, Father’s Day was celebrated the following year on June 19th, where young women handed out red roses to their fathers. In 1966, the President of the United States at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, made a proclamation to celebrate fathers annually on the third Sunday of June. However, it wasn’t declared a national holiday until during President Nixon’s administration, during 1972.
So, there you go! Not only does dad deserve breakfast in bed with an extravagant card, but you might as well buy him roses too!
