Father's Day

Father's DayFather’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. The idea of creating a holiday for children who want to express gratitude to their fathers came from Spokane, Washington.

A woman named Sonora Smart, married to Dodd in 1909 at a church during a Mother’s Day service, thought that after the death of her mother and five other children, her father, William Jackson Smart, raised her. Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her, how much she loved and appreciated him. After all, her father sacrificed everything to fulfill all his parental duties and was in the eyes of his daughter the most courageous, unselfish and loving person. Sonora appealed to the local authorities with a proposal to establish a new holiday, she was supported and was going to arrange a celebration on June 5 - the birthday of William Smart, but there was not enough time to prepare them, and the holiday was postponed to June 19. Soon the holiday became popular in other cities of the state.

In 1924, US President Calvin Coolidge supported Sonora Dodd’s initiative. He believed that this holiday would strengthen the relationship between fathers and their children, while reminding fathers of their parental responsibilities.

In 1956, Congress passed a resolution calling for such a holiday. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June Fathers Day. But the male members of the U.S. Congress were hesitant to officially establish the holiday, as congressmen feared that they could be caught in bias. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Nixon officially legalized Fathers Day.

Father’s Day was an expression of the love and gratitude that the daughter dedicated to her father. Roses are the flowers of Father’s Day: red is worn if the father is alive and white if the father is dead.

After the United States, Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June began to celebrate the UK, the Netherlands, France, China and other countries.