Father's Day, as the name suggests, is a holiday to thank fathers. It began in the United States in the early 20th century and is now widely spread around the world. The date of the holiday varies from region to region. The most common date is the third Sunday of June every year. 52 countries and regions in the world celebrate Father's Day on this day. There are various ways to celebrate the holiday, most of which are related to gift giving, family dinners or activities.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd, who lived in Spokane, Washington, USA, thought to herself after attending the Mother's Day service at the church: "Why is there no holiday in the world to commemorate fathers like Mother's Day?"
When Mrs. Dodd was 13 years old, her mother died during childbirth, leaving behind 6 children; Mrs. Dodd's father, William Smart, became a widower and decided not to remarry. He raised his 6 children (including a newborn) as both a father and a mother on a rural farm in eastern Washington State, USA.
In 1909, Mr. Smart passed away. After the Mother's Day thanksgiving service, Mrs. Dodd shared with the church pastor Remas the love and efforts her father had made in raising his children; she hoped to have a special day to pay tribute to her father and to commemorate the great fathers in the world, so she proposed the establishment of Father's Day, hoping that there would be a holiday in the world to commemorate and thank fathers.
After listening to Mrs. Dodd's story, Pastor Remas was deeply moved by Mr. Smart's spirit and love, and supported Mrs. Dodd's efforts to promote the establishment of Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd began to promote the establishment of Father's Day in the spring of 1910, and then received support from various church organizations. She also wrote to the mayor and the state government to express her ideas and suggestions. With Mrs. Dodd's efforts, the mayor of Spokane and the governor of Washington State publicly expressed their approval, so Washington State held the world's first Father's Day gathering on June 19, 1910.
In 1924, US President Kevin Coolidge supported Father's Day as a national holiday.
In 1966, US President Lyndon Johnson selected Mr. Smart's birthday month and announced that June of that year would be the month of Father's Day in the United States.
In 1972, US President Nixon officially signed a document to designate the third Sunday of June each year as Father's Day in the United States, which has since become a permanent national memorial day in the United States.
