Celebrating Fabulous Fathers Around The World
Happy Father's Day to all lovely fathers around the world - we hope you have a very special day, whether you get a perfect present, handmade card, breakfast in bed, or just lots of love and hugs from your family!
But do you know how the celebrations came about? Is there one globally recognised Father's Day or does it vary from country to country?
In the UK, Father's Day as we know it now was first celebrated after World War II. In America, it was first referred to in 1908, following a service held to honour men killed in a mine explosion in West Virginia. It was formally recognised in the US as an official national holiday in 1972.
Traditionally, Father's Day has been recognised in different forms for much longer. In the Middle Ages, March 19th was the "special day" for fathers in Catholic European countries as it was the principal feast day of St Joseph This tradition is still followed in Spain and some former colonised Latin American countries such as Honduras.
Bulgaria follows the Orthodox tradition of recognising St Joseph's Day on 26th December, although increasingly Father's Day is celebrated in the third week of June as well. So lucky dads get to celebrate twice!
In Germany, "Vatertag" is a national holiday which falls on Ascension Day. Groups of male friends tend to get together to eat, drink and enjoy themselves in a form of mass "boys' day out".
August 8th is the chosen date in China, where the word "ba" means "eight" (referring to the day and month) and "ba ba" is colloquially used for "father". And in Thailand, fathers receive yellow flower - a symbol of masculinity - on December 5th, the King's birthday.
As for Down Under, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September in Australia and New Zealand.
So, does it matter exactly when we celebrate Father's Day? We think that, wherever they live and whenever (and however) they celebrate, great fathers deserve as much recognition as they can get every day!
It's never too late to tell your father how special he is … so if you haven't got organised in time for Father's Day this year, just spoil him anyway!
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