The History of
Father's Day
by Wen Zientek-Sico
Learn all about
the fascinating history of Father's Day with this informative article. We share
some little known facts and neat tidbits about this very special holiday.
It is surprising when you look at the history of Mother's Day
and Father's Day to realize just how long it took for us to come to appreciate
our Dads! According to most reports, it took one special woman, Sonora Dodd of
Spokane, Washington, to really start the push for a special day to celebrate and
thank fathers.
Mother's have had an organized special day of honor since the 1600's and an
organized Mother's Day was being celebrated in the United States quite a bit
before Father's Day was. It was actually during a Mother's Day celebration that
Mrs. Dodd came up with the idea of creating a special day just for fathers.
Mrs. Dodd, who was motherless, and had been raised by her widower father,
William Smart, realized how much she wanted to honor her own father who had
raised her and her five siblings in 1909. He was a civil war veteran and farmer
who had forfeited much to raise the family all by himself. She decided that she
wanted to show her love and affection for him and her appreciation for his
sacrifices by creating a special day honoring him and all fathers on his
birthday, June 5th.
Sonora Dodd approached the Spokane governing council to get an official holiday
launched for June 5, 1910, which was the first Sunday of the month. In a not
atypical situation, the local government did not approve the special holiday
fast enough to use William Smart's birthday, but they did approve the holiday,
deciding instead on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was quickly adopted
across the country, with many other women advocating a special day for fathers
and popularizing the holiday.
At that time the celebration was not the festive (and usually funny) occasion
that it is today. Typically there was a special service in church during which
fathers were honored. In general, the entire day was a solemn and respectful
occasion. Women typically wore flowers to honor their fathers, and Sonora Dodd
supposedly created another tradition by declaring that women should wear red
roses to honor living fathers and white roses to honor those that were no longer
with them. Later on white lilacs were used as traditional blooms to celebrate
Father's Day, and both white lilacs and roses are typically used today.
The first real attempts by a president to organize a national Father's Day were
made by Calvin Coolidge in 1924. He actively supported the idea of a Father's
Day, but never made it an official holiday. It wasn't until 1966 when Lyndon
Johnson issued a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday in June
as the official Father's Day.
Father's Day has now become a big business holiday. The sales of greeting cards,
tools, T-shirts, baseball caps, and especially ties are the earmarks of the
holiday. Many families celebrate with picnics, barbecues, and other functions
and some communities organize special ballgames, parades, or other activities.
Father's Day has actually really expanded to celebrate not just fathers, but all
of the important men in our lives. It is the perfect occasion to show your
gratitude and love to all men who influence your life, whether they be
neighbors, grandfathers, mentors, husbands, brothers, uncles, stepfathers,
friends, and even in some cases children.
Take the time on this special day to let your special guy know how much you care
and how much you appreciate everything that he does for you and your family
every day.
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Copyright 2001 by Wen Zientek-Sico
