'Father! - To God Himself We Cannot Give a Holier name!' - William Wordsworth The above quote completely defines the meaning of being a father, and the various responsibilities the male parent has on his shoulders. We salute fathers all around the world and honor them on 'Father's Day'. Father's Day is the male equivalent of Mother's Day. Just as Mother's Day celebrates motherhood, Father's Day celebrates fatherhood. Father's Day originated in USA. Father's Day is celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day in the Roman Catholic tradition. Saint Joseph was the husband of the Virgin Mary, and therefore, foster father to Jesus. Saint Josephs Day is celebrated in some branches of Christianity in honor of the Saint. In Roman Catholicism, it is a feast celebrated on March 19. In the USA, Fathers Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Father's Day is celebrated on differing days around the globe, and in some countries, it is a secular celebration. In the USA, Sonora Smart Dodd is considered instrumental in the founding of the 'Father's Day' tradition. Her father, the Civil War Veteran William Jackson Smart, had raised six children as a single parent. She was inspired for her work for Father's Day, while hearing a sermon on Mother's Day. Sonora had chosen June 19 as a day for the celebration, coinciding with her father's month of birth, June. The first Father's Day in the USA was celebrated June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. Father's Day in the USA has an interesting history. Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family on Father's Day, while Calvin Coolidge had recommended it for a public holiday. The National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York in 1926. Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a celebration to held on the third Sunday of June, and it was made an official holiday by Richard Nixon. |
