Fathers Day Maine

June has a lot of holidays, but the one that first comes to mind for most people is Father’s Day. Although you may think that Father’s Day is a commercially made holiday, it’s not. The earliest record of any kind of celebrations of fathers and fatherhood dates back to 4,000 years ago during Babylonian times. While digging through the ruins of Babylon, a message from a young boy named Elmesu was found inscribed in clay. The message wishes his father a long and happy life. Though this can be considered the beginning of Fathers Day in a way, it wasn’t really the beginning of “official” Father’s Day – that came much later in time.

In modern times, Father’s Day was started by a woman with the name of Sonora Dudd in Washington State. In the year of 1909, Sonora Dudd was attending a service for Mother’s Day and came up with the idea of a holiday to honor fathers. Initially, she wanted to start Father’s Day to honor her own father.

Sonora Dudd’s father served in the Civil War and raised her as a single parent. As an adult, Sonora was aware of the sacrifices that her father had to make. He was such a great father, she wanted to make sure there was a national day to recognize him and all the fathers. Sonora picked June as the month for Father’s Day because this is when her father’s birthday was. The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1909.

Although the idea of Father’s Day came about in 1909, it was not brought up again by a national figure until 1924. In 1924, President Coolidge decided he really liked the idea of Father’s Day, but nothing officially was done about this. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson officially made Father’s Day a holiday. He signed a proclamation and the third Sunday of June became the official day to celebrate fathers. And then in 1972, President Richard Nixon created a law that made Father’s Day a permanent holiday. For many younger people today, Father’s Day has simply always been a fact of life, and though it doesn’t rival Mother’s Day as far as a large commercial holiday, it is still observed with respect and does its fair share of increasing gift and greeting card sales.

Besides the secular holiday of Father’s Day, many Catholics call St. Joseph’s Day their Father’s Day. This day falls on March 19th. They call it this because Joseph was the father of Jesus, the main figure in Christianity.

Since the initial celebration of honoring fatherhood in 1909, there have been flowers that represent the day. This flower has traditionally been the rose. Roses come from the shrub of genus Rosa. Today, they can come in the colors red, white, yellow, peach and pink. For the tradition of Father's Day, a red rose symbolizes that your father is still living. A white rose symbolizes that your father has passed on.

The lily is also considered a Father's Day Flower. This tradition originally came from J.H. Berringer, who also honored Father's Day as early as 1912. He chose the white lilac as the traditional flower for the celebration.

It is common to think that whatever country you reside in is the only place that a particular holiday is celebrated. But this, of course, is most often not the case. Being from the United States, it may seem as if we are the only country that celebrates the holiday Father's Day. But this holiday is celebrated all over the world. And while most countries celebrate the day in a similar manner, each unique culture will have its own specific flavor and way of honoring fatherhood.

As far as the specific date of Father's Day, this varies around the world. In Australia, the holiday is celebrated on the first Sunday in September. In Canada, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In the United Kingdom, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In New Zealand, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in September. In South Africa, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In Belgium, it is called St. Joseph’s Day and is celebrated on the second Sunday in June. In Brazil, it is celebrated on the second Sunday in August. In Bulgaria, Father's Day is celebrated on June 20th. In Chile, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In Denmark and Finland, the holiday is celebrated on the second Sunday in November. In Germany, it is celebrated on Ascension Thursday, which is forty days after Easter. In Japan, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In Portugal and Spain, it is called St. Joseph’s Day and is celebrated on March 19th. In Thailand, it is celebrated on December 5th. And In India, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.

In regards to how the holiday is celebrated, each culture has their own specific way of honoring fatherhood. It seems that in most cultures the celebration is similar, giving gifts and cards with thanks and love. Also, giving small parties and honoring the father with a festive dinner is very common. One of the countries that seemed to have different customs in relation to Father's Day was India. In India, the idea of Father's Day is very new. Although India as a culture has been open to observing a specific day to honor dads, it was not until recently that the celebration became a reality. Currently, millions of people in India honor the holiday of Fathers Day. Because it is a very recent tradition, though, the celebration is much more limited than in other countries. In Maine urban areas, it is much more popular due to the aggressive advertising of the holiday.

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