subject: The Origin of Father's Day [print this page] The Origin of Father's Day The Origin of Father's Day
Preparations for the celebration of Father's Day are in full swing at the moment, which rests on June 20th this year. In regard of the origin of this widely-celebrated holiday, most people are unfamiliar with it. This article explores the origin of Father's Day in the United States.
Father's Day is on the third Sunday in June. Rumor has it that this holiday was initiated by Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. In 1909, Mrs. Dodd was inspired by a Mother's Day sermon, and felt there should also be a Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd's father, William Jackson Smart, was a civil War veteran. His wife died in childbirth. He refused to remarry and single-handedly raised his 6 children. Mrs. Dodd wanted to recognize the sacrifices her father made in raising her and her brothers, and to acknowledge fathers everywhere as well.
Initially she proposed to have a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5th, her father's birthday. However, since her minister needed time to prepare for the sermon, the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday in June, a couple of weeks later. Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924 but the all-male U.S. Congress was mindful that passing a measure so favorable to males could be seen as a conflict of interest. In 1926, the National Father's Day Committee met for the first time in New York City. Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday in 1966, nevertheless it was not until 1972 that President Richard Nixon officially established Father's Day as a national day of observance.
Father's Day has been widely celebrated annually thereafter. There are so many ways you can show your appreciation to your dad on this special day, and sending him a Father's Day gift is a great way to show your appreciation. Among the popular gifts for dad are Father's Day flowers. It's basically acknowledged that red roses are for living fathers while white roses are for those who have passed away.
