Father's Day - The Struggle to Make it a Recognized Holiday
Father's Day - The Struggle to Make it a Recognized Holiday
Words can't express what a father means. To the world, he may be just a man, but to the people he brings into it, he is often so much more.
Get a free iPad to gift your father this father's day. Click Here to know more.
A father may be a person who works long hours to provide a better life for his family, but still finds time to come to Little League games and school events. He might teach his children decency, humility or how to drive a stick shift. He might be a man smiling with pride at graduations or shedding a tear at weddings. No matter what, a father generally is someone who will always be there for the people he loves, any way he can.
The least he deserves, it would seem, is a day. Funny thing is, it took a long time for public officials to agree.
The history of Father's Day
Like rock & roll and the Ford Model T, Father's Day is an American invention, first observed in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. The first celebration occurred a couple years after the first Mother's Day and was the inspiration of Sonora Smart Dodd, who listened to a sermon one Sunday about the new day for women and decided there should be something to honor her father, who raised his family alone after his wife died giving birth to their sixth child.
Dodd's idea quickly gained grassroots support, and while the New York Times reported in 1913 that a bill in Congress sought to recognize Father's Day, it took more than 50 years for the day to become an official national holiday. While Mother's Day traces its roots to celebrations for the Virgin Mary from the 16th century, only secular reasons could be offered for Father's Day. The thinking thus ran for many years that if fathers got their own day, it wouldn't be long before the calendar was cluttered with frivolous holidays, like Household Pet Day or National Clean Up Your Desk Day.
Eventually, public opinion began to shift. Congress recognized Father's Day by joint resolution in 1956, though interestingly, the next year, a senator from Maine named Margaret Chase Smith submitted a proposal that read, in part, "Congress has been guilty now for 40 years of the worst possible oversight." Momentum continued to build, with Lyndon Johnson proclaiming Father's Day an official national holiday in 1966. Finally in 1972, Richard Nixon signed a law signifying the third Sunday each June as Father's Day (incidentally, Nixon signed the law the same week as one of the Watergate burglaries.)
What Father's Day is now
It would appear the worst fears of Father's Day naysayers are true: We do now have a calendar full of frivolous, trivial holidays. That being said, Father's Day is not one of them. Unlike many so-called holidays that pass unnoticed every year, like ships in the night, Father's Day is annually among the most popular secular holidays.
Father's Day is celebrated in 30 countries, with people spending billions worldwide to give back to their dads. They pay tribute in a variety of ways. Father's Day might mean a fishing trip or a round of golf or a special meal at a restaurant. It can mean personalized picture frames or "World's Greatest Dad" mugs or a myriad of other items. More important than the gifts themselves is the sentiments and gratitude they convey.
The sacrifices a father makes can never be fully repaid. The best thing a child can do, perhaps, is to one day make sacrifices for children of their own. That being said, it never hurts to say "Thank you" to a father or to strive to put a smile on his face. Father's Day is about recognizing those sacrifices and giving dad a break, if only for a day.
It goes without saying that dad deserves for his day to be as special as possible. Links London - I want to make you to be mine Another Great Trip To Las Vegas ! Links Of London - my Christmas secret weapon High Profile Opportunities To Join The Canadian Tourism Commission As Fellow Sponsor Of One World One Table Culinary Tourism World Summit London North Cheam Places to Travel to The Best 2010 Christmas Ideas Green Spaces Close to London Putney Bridge Australian Properties Pick the best UK hotels near Airports to Ease down Your Travel Queen Extra Long Sheet - When It's Time To Retire Hotels in London, Washington, Los Angeles - Hospitality and Luxury at its Best Christmas Decorations: Wonderful Ideas How to Celebrating Christmas in Sweden