A lot of people may think that Father’s Day originated in reaction to the widely popular Mother’s Day. However, this holiday has a far more interesting and moving history. The notion of “honoring thy father” dates back to biblical times. Officials did not make the holiday meant to make dads feel special and appreciated official until 1972. While Mother’s Day officially took shape in 1914 and became a popular holiday widely celebrated even before then, Father’s Day didn’t receive the same amount of enthusiasm.
First celebrated in the United States, Father’s Day gradually spread to other parts of the world. While they first started out as flowers and cards, common Father’s Day gifts for these days range from accessories like watches, wallets, neckties, cuff links, to memorabilia like “World’s Greatest Dad” mugs and travel pillows as the holiday gains commercial speed.
Here are some more fun facts about Father’s Day:
1. How It Began
Father’s Day was first celebrated in Washington, New York. Ms Sonora Smart Dodd, who one out of six children raised by a widower, attempted to create a “Mother’s Day for fathers”. She succeeded with her campaign when Washington State held the first statewide Father’s Day celebration on 19 July, 1910.
2. Presidential Support
In the years following that, presidents such as Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge supported establishing Father’s Day as a federal holiday. However, American men opposed it in general as they felt that it wasn’t manly to shower fathers with presents most likely purchased with their own money. They believed that Father’s Day was just another commercialised holiday scam to boost retail sales. It was only during President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign that an official proclamation was signed in 1972 to recognise this day as a federal holiday.
3. Father’s Day or Fathers’ Day?
Grammar nazis debated over this. Since we’re celebrating all fathers and not just our own, shouldn’t it be Fathers’ Day? But the fact is that the U.S. Congress coined the term “Father’s Day” when they first established it as an official holiday.
4. The Word “Dad”
Dads receive the name “Dad” for reasons that trace back to baby talk, as the sound “dada” or “tata” represents a baby’s acknowledgement of its father in many languages. Although the exact date when the word first emerged remains unknown, it likely appeared around the late 15th century.
5. The First Father Day Card
Hallmark wasn’t the first maker of Father’s Day cards. One of the earliest cards for Father’s Day dates way back to about 4,000 years ago. A Babylonian youngster by the name of Elmesu carved a card out of clay to “wish his father good health and long life”. How sweet!
6. Flowers for Dad
The official flower for Father’s Day is the rose. A red rose worn in your lapel or blouse on Dad’s Day is to honour your father if he is living, while a white rose is worn if he has passed away.
What other fun facts about Father’s Day do you know? How will you be celebrating it this year?
Written by Joyce Chua