Father's Day in United States

Father's Day in the United States is on the third Sunday of June. It celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make for their children's lives. Its origins may lie in a memorial service held for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907.

Father's Day is a day for fathers and father-like figures. ©iStockphoto.com/aldomurillo

What do people do?

Father's Day is an occasion to mark and celebrate the contribution that your own father has made to your life. Many people send or give cards or gifts to their fathers. Common Father's Day gifts include sports items or clothing, electronic gadgets, outdoor cooking supplies and tools for household maintenance.

Father's Day is a relatively modern holiday so different families have a range of traditions. These can range from a simple phone call or greetings card to large parties honoring all of the 'father' figures in a particular extended family. Father figures can include fathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and even other male relatives. In the days and weeks before Father's Day, many schools and Sunday schools help their pupils to prepare a handmade card or small gift for their fathers.

Public life

Father's Day is not a federal holiday. Organizations, businesses and stores are open or closed, just as they are on any other Sunday in the year. Public transit systems run to their normal Sunday schedules. Restaurants may be busier than usual, as some people take their fathers out for a treat.

Background and symbols

There are a range of events, which may have inspired the idea of Father's Day. One of these was the start of the Mother's Day tradition in the first decade of the 20th century. Another was a memorial service held in 1908 for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia in December 1907.

A woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was an influential figure in the establishment of Father's Day. Her father raised six children by himself after the death of their mother. This was uncommon at that time, as many widowers placed their children in the care of others or quickly married again.

Sonora was inspired by the work of Anna Jarvis, who had pushed for Mother's Day celebrations. Sonora felt that her father deserved recognition for what he had done. The first time Father's Day was held in June was in 1910. Father's Day was officially recognized as a holiday in 1972 by President Nixon.

About Father's Day in other countries

Father's Day Observances

Related holiday

• Mother's Day ―Sunday, May 13, 2012

Other holidays in June 2012 in United States

• Statehood Day ―Friday, June 1, 2012
• Trinity Sunday ―Sunday, June 3, 2012
• Jefferson Davis Birthday ―Sunday, June 3, 2012
• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression ―Monday, June 4, 2012
• Jefferson Davis Birthday ―Monday, June 4, 2012
• World Environment Day ―Tuesday, June 5, 2012
• Corpus Christi ―Thursday, June 7, 2012
• World Oceans Day ―Friday, June 8, 2012
• Kamehameha Day ―Monday, June 11, 2012
• World Day Against Child Labour ―Tuesday, June 12, 2012
• World Blood Donor Day ―Thursday, June 14, 2012
• Flag Day ―Thursday, June 14, 2012
• World Elder Abuse Awareness Day ―Friday, June 15, 2012
• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought ―Sunday, June 17, 2012
• Bunker Hill Day ―Sunday, June 17, 2012
• Isra and Mi'raj ―Sunday, June 17, 2012
• Bunker Hill Day ―Monday, June 18, 2012
• Juneteenth ―Tuesday, June 19, 2012
• West Virginia Day ―Wednesday, June 20, 2012
• June Solstice ―Wednesday, June 20, 2012
• World Refugee Day ―Wednesday, June 20, 2012
• Public Service Day ―Saturday, June 23, 2012
• International Widows' Day ―Saturday, June 23, 2012
• Day of the Seafarer ―Monday, June 25, 2012
• International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking ―Tuesday, June 26, 2012
• International Day in Support of Victims of Torture ―Tuesday, June 26, 2012