How Father’s Day began. In the hustle and bustle of today’s world, many don’t take the time to reflect on the meaning of our holidays. Do you know how Father’s day started? Well, here is a little history. Hopefully, this will help you reflect on the meaning of Father’s Day and help make his day a little more special.
Father’s Day is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2018. It all began when a young woman wanted to honor her dad.
In May 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Wash., sat in church listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. She decided she wanted to designate a day for her dad , William Jackson Smart. Dodd’s mother had died in childbirth, and Dodd’s father, a Civil War veteran, had taken the responsibility of single-handedly raising the newborn and his other five children.
The following year, Dodd wanted to celebrate Father’s Day on June 5th, her father’s birthday and petitioned for the holiday to be recognized in her city. Needing more time to arrange the festivities, Spokane’s mayor pushed the date back by two weeks, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, according to the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau.
At the first Father’s Day celebration, young women handed out red roses to their fathers during a church service. Large baskets full of roses were passed around. Attendees were encouraged to pin on a rose in honor of their fathers. Red for the living and white in memory of the deceased. After the service Dodd rode through the city in a horse-drawn carriage with her infant son bringing roses and gifts to home-bound fathers.
Will Father’s Day be recognized?
Congress was quick to officially declare the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in 1914, after it was first celebrated on May 10, 1908. It took much longer for Father’s Day to be legally recognized. But thanks to Dodd’s celebration, Father’s Day steadily gained popularity.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge said that he supported it, in order to establish closer relationships between fathers and their children, and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations, according to the Library of Congress.
The holiday gained more traction in 1938. A trade organization, the National Council for the Promotion of Father’s Day, was formed by men’s clothing retailers in New York City. They decided to take up the cause, according to Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays (Princeton University Press, 1995).
President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers in 1966. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it a permanent holiday. That is how Father’s day began and since then, Father’s Day has become a time to recognize the many father figures in our lives.
Today, Father’s Day has a passionate following.
About three-quarters of Americans telling the National Retail Federation they plan to celebrate. Here are more facts about the holiday:
- Census data shows there are more than 70.1 million dads in the U.S. About a third of them are married with kids under 18.
- Two million fathers are single.
- Spending on Father’s Day will reach about $12.7 billion this year, with the average person spending about $115.57 on presents. That’s about $2 more than last year’s average.
- The amount spent on Father’s Day is still less than what Americans spend on Mother’s Day — $21 billion.
- Father’s Day is the fourth-biggest day for sending greeting cards, after Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, according to the Greeting Card Association.
- About 20 percent of Father’s Day cards are bought for husbands.
- More than 214,000 men are stay-at-home dads.
- Thailand’s Father’s Day is celebrated in December, on the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Everyone wears yellow.
- On Father’s Day in Germany, men drink all day at beer gardens.
Dad has always been there for you.
When you were little, he gave you piggyback rides through the park and ran alongside your bicycle until you were finally stable enough to take off pedaling on your own. When you got a little older, he attended every school play and maybe even turned a blind eye when you came home 20 minutes past curfew. Now, he’s taking your own kids to the park so you can finally get a moment of peace.
Throughout the years, he’s really given the whole parenting thing 110 percent. It’s no wonder you’re struggling to find something just right to celebrate him on Father’s Day. When he has always done so much for you, finding something that can adequately express your gratitude is never easy—no matter how many years have come and gone. This year, we’re hoping to make shopping feel a little less like a task and a little more like a fun treasure hunt.
Father’s Day Activity Ideas
- Bond with dad at a local fishing hole. Make a weekend out of it. When else do you get to stand side by side and catch up on life? Try this neat fishing trick: Use WD-40 to spray your lures. It attracts fish and masks human odor that can scare them off.
- Forget another gift of golf shirts. Take Dad for a thrill ride. Give him a speedway, a Go-Kart, and a helmet. Look for a nearby Go-Kart track and spend the day zipping around.
- Make dad’s day by toasting him at a local beer or wine tasting event. Better yet – give him the gift of wine. Buy him his own membership to the best Wine club in the world. Did you know wine is good for you?
- Thrilling rides, funnel cake, tacky souvenirs—yes, it’s Father’s Day at a theme park. Check out how to win at the trickiest carnival games; plus see more secrets amusement parks won’t tell you.
- They say golf is a good walk spoiled, but not when you spend 18 holes worth of quality time with dad. You can hire a PGA instructor for a series of golf lessons. A great excuse to hang out together, pick up tips from a pro, and improve your game.
- Tickets to his favorite sporting event are pretty much always a winning idea. Many stadiums offer Father’s Day deals. Want to be the favorite child? Surprise dad with a splurge of season tickets.
- This year, start a camping tradition. Pitch a tent, start a campfire, swap memories about growing up—it’s bonding at its best. Look for a campground near you, pick up the right gear, and go wild.
We’re not done!
- Spa days are not just for the ladies. If yours is the kind of dad who appreciates being pampered, book him a luxurious massage, haircut, or professional shave. Or create a spa environment at home.
- Is your dad an absolute car nut? Contact your local car clubs to find a nearby show. Bond over stories of what it was like for him to drive his first car—or recall laughs over what he went through to teach you how to drive.
- Check with your local library or historical society and ask if tours are available of their stacks and archives. Many organizations will be happy to show you a behind-the-scenes look at your town’s history. .
- What’s playing nearby? Check local listings for an outdoor music festival or concert. Remember snacks and cold water, plus a clean blanket.
- Many local art museums have dad-friendly works to look at. Go quirky and try a specialized collection or gallery that he might find more interesting. Or get creative: You could check out a cool art installation in a nearby city instead of doing a more traditional museum.
Steak dinner with a fine wine?
- You can treat dad to dinner anytime. Instead, sign up for a cooking class and experiment in the kitchen. Nutrient-enriched beef, as well as your own local grocery store, are good places to start your search.
- Make it a day trip or a weekend getaway! June is a great month to get away on a scenic road trip. Be sure to pack some of these household items for easier travel.
- Now it’s time for you to give back for all he has done. Turn spending time with Dad into a meaningful opportunity to help those in your community.
So plan that amazing day that Dad is going to enjoy and remember for a long time. Sit back with a glass of fine wine that you picked from your collection of wine and enjoy your time with Dad.
