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TimeLines of Liberty
American Holidays -
Father's Day |
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Father's Day
Last updated May, 2007.
Observed - Third Sunday in June |
TimeLine of
Father's Day -
Father's Day 'round the World
A Father's
Love? -
Father's Day Trivia
Father's Day Links |
Father's Day around the
World
Few Countries honor their children's fathers with an
official day.
Canada and the United Kingdom celebrate Father's Day on the same
day as the U.S., the third Sunday in June. Australia celebrates
the first Sunday in September as Father's Day. Other countries
that observe a Father's Day on differing dates are Argentina,
Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand,
Norway, and India.
Germany's celebration of "Vatertag" had been more like a "boys'
day out" at a local pub rather than a family oriented "Father's
Day." The reputation as a beer bust is no longer viewed as
favorable causing a more sobering of the celebration.
Austria celebrates the day on the second Sunday of June, taking
on a more religious observance, like a feast day of the Catholic
Church.
March 19th is often called Father's Day by many Catholics
because that is St. Joseph's Day. Joseph was the step-father of
Jesus.
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Not just for Mother's but roses are for father's too! A
red rose shows that one's father is still alive while a white
rose signifies that one's father has passed on. In 1912 the
white lily was first used as the Father's Day flower.
© Copyright 2007
Roger W Hancock www.PoetPatriot.com |
TimeLine of
Father's Day - Father's Day
'round the World -
A Father's
Love? - Father's Day Trivia
- Father's Day Links
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A Father's Day TimeLine |
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2000BC |
A father's day message is
carved on a clay tablet, in ancient Babylon, by Elmesu who
wished good health and a long life to his father. |
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BC - AD |
The God of Judaism and
Christianity is unlike the gods of other religions. The Jedeo-Christian
God is portrayed as a father. A loving father who for the
salvation of the people would give his own son to die so that
they may live in heaven. (Specifically God's son died as a
sacrificial lamb, killed for our sins.) |
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BC - AD |
Though not a precursor to
Father's Day, the ancient Romans during February would honor
their fathers who had died. |
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1908 |
Dr. Robert Webb conducted
the first Father's Day service at the Central Church of Fairmont
in West Virginia. Little publicity was given to the event
leaving the conception of a Father's Day to spring forth by
another a year later and across the country. Mrs. Charles
Clayton is believed to have suggested the honoring of fathers in
the Fairmont church service. |
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1909 |
Sonora Louise Smart Dodd
(Mrs. Bruce John Dodd) of Spokane, Washington while in
attendance at a Mother's Day service in 1909, was inspired to
consider a special day for fathers as well. Mrs Dodd recognized
the greatness in her father William Jackson Smart, a Civil War
Veteran, who had raised her and her 5 siblings single-handed.
He had refused to remarry dedicating himself to his children.
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1910 |
Mrs. Sonora Dodd had
presented to her minister and to few others the idea of a
service with the theme of honoring fathers to be held on June
5th. With June 5th too soon for the city's ministers to prepare
for such a service, June 19th was chosen as the day for the
Father's Day Services. Mrs. Dodd had envisioned church
services and children presenting greetings to their fathers. |
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1910 |
Sonora Dodd's pastor had
presented the idea of a Father's day to a local pastor's
association. The Spokane Ministerial Association and members of
the Spokane YMCA strongly supported the idea. Spokane's Mayor
and the Governor of Washington State would eventually endorse,
proclaiming support for the idea. William Jennings Bryan, the
famous politician, would also express words of support. |
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1910 |
Articles about the Spokane
observance of Father's Day were published in Newspapers across
the nation, helping to spread the concept of a national Father's
Day. |
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1912 |
The Reverend J. H.
Berringer, Pastor of the Irvington Methodist Church in Vancouver
Washington, held services to honor fathers as early as 1912.
Berringer wore a white lilac as the Father's Day flower.
www.PoetPatriot.com
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1914 |
Mother's Day becomes a
National Holiday. |
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1915 |
The Chicago branch of the
Lion's Club held it's first Father's Day celebration on the
third Sunday in June which was the closest Sunday to the
birthday of the branch's president Harry Meek. |
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1916 |
Across the State of
Washington Father's Day would be celebrated on the third Sunday
in June. Children would make special desserts for their fathers,
or if living apart make a visit to their father. Father's Day
was still not well known within Washington State let alone
outside. |
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1916 |
The concept of a day to
honor fathers had sprang up independently in various places
across the nation; some due to the articles about the Spokane
observance of 1910. Interesting enough, is that most supported
June as the month to celebrate the day. State legislatures and
organizations had began to lobby the U.S. Congress to declare an
annual Father's Day. The Congress was hesitant in its
consideration of a Father's Day, concerned for a possible
interpretation as being from a self-congratulating legislature.
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1924 |
President Calvin Coolidge
declared it a national event to ""establish more intimate
relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon
fathers the full measure of their obligations." The Third Sunday
in June was chosen as a national observance. |
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1926 |
A National Father's Day
Committee begins meeting in New York, New York. |
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1957 |
In 1957 a Joint Resolution
of Congress gave recognition to Father's Day. |
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1957 |
Senator Margaret Chase
Smith had written to Congress in 1957, stating, "Either we honor
both our parents, mother and father, or let us desist from
honoring either one. But to single out just one of our two
parents and omit the other is the most grievous insult
imaginable." |
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1966 |
President Lyndon Johnson
signed a presidential proclamation to declare the third Sunday
of June as Father's Day. This only applied to one observance. |
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1972 |
President Richard Nixon
signed into law Father's Day, on April 24th, as a permanent
national observance on the third Sunday of June. His address
stated in honor of all good fathers that contribute as much to
the family as does a mother. To show an ancient precedent for a
Father's Day, Historian's found just one, that the Romans
honored their deceased fathers every February. |
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1974 |
Sonora Smart Dodd was
recognized at the World's Fair in Spokane, Washington in 1974,
for her role in the creation of the national observance of
Father's Day. |
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1978 |
At the age of 96 Mrs.
Sonora Smart Dodd died on March 22nd, 1978. Though not the first
to suggest a celebration of fathers, Sonora Dodd was the most
supportive and active in the birth of Father's Day. |
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2007 |
This Father's Day page is
dedicated to the PoetPatriot's father-in-law and the memory of
his father, Kenneth Alonzo Hancock. The
PoetPatriot's wife's (Tracie Lynn) father is Gerald L Blair, who
is still yet with us. |
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© Copyright 2007
Roger W Hancock www.PoetPatriot.com |
TimeLine of
Father's Day - Father's Day
'round the World -
A Father's
Love? - Father's Day Trivia
- Father's Day Links"
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Father's Day
Trivia
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As with many other holidays Father's Day has it roots
within Christianity with the first observances being
church services.
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Flowers |
Not just for
Mothers but roses are for fathers too! A red rose
shows that one's father is still alive while a white
rose signifies that one's father has passed on. In 1912
the white lily began to be used as a Father's Day
flower.
The United States has more than 23,000 florists
employing 125,000 people. California produces two thirds
of the domestic cut flower production, although Colombia
leads supplying America with the bulk of the cut flowers
and fresh bulbs consumed. |
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Greeting Cards |
95 million
greeting cards are purchased for Father's Day making it
the fourth holiday for number of cards purchased.
Half the cards purchased are by sons and/or daughters;
one fifth are by wives; the remaining 45 percent are by
others for grandparents, brothers, uncles and other
special men in their lives.
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Gifts for Father |
There are
numerous stores from which to purchase gifts. In 2003
there were 14,864 hardware stores, 5,795 home centers,
and 22,410 sporting goods stores across America.
Father's Day generates $9.01 billion dollars in sales
each year; following Christmas ($457.4 billion),
Mother's Day ($13.8 billion), Valentine's Day ($13.7
billion) and Easter ($12.63 billion).
The most popular gift for father is a neck-tie. A
necktie usually lacks imagination often being a fairly
thoughtless gift, but a practical gift, assuming father
wears ties.
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Phone Home |
Though Mother
gets the most calls on her day, Father will receive the
most "collect calls" on Father's Day, more than any
other day of the year. Second for collect calls is
Mother's Day with Valentines Day coming in third.
Calls on Mother's Day and Father's day will be 3 to 4
minutes longer than a typical Sunday.
The Day for the busiest call volume of the year is the
Monday after Thanksgiving Day.
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Fathers Married |
According to
the census there are 26.4 million fathers in America
that are still married or have remarried, with children
under 18 years of age.
22 percent of those fathers, with their wives, are
raising three or more children, of their own.
Two percent of married fathers live apart from their
children, with a relative or friend.
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Single Fathers |
2.3 million
fathers are single.
Men make up 18 percent of single parents that have their
children living with them.
11 percent of single dads are raising three or more of
their own children.
Among single fathers 42 percent have divorced, 39
percent had never married, 15 percent were separated
from their wives and 4 percent were widowed.
Only 22 percent of single fathers have an annual income
over or including $50,000.
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Child Support |
4.6 million
fathers provide child support with median payments of
$3,600 each year.
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* References to
children mean children under 18 years of age. |
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© Copyright 2007
Roger W Hancock www.PoetPatriot.com |
TimeLine of
Father's Day - Father's Day
'round the World -
A Father's
Love? - Father's Day Trivia
- Father's Day Links
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A Father's Love?
You can become a father with little thought; to be a good father
takes much thought.
Do not assume your children know your love for them.
Children being young, not yet mature, often obtain an inaccurate
perception of situations. Because we love our children
differently does not mean we love one more than the others.
However children will pick up on the differing attention to the
others and interpret it to mean that Dad does not love them as
much. That is especially true when the father does not
vocalize with, "I love you," as is often the case in a culture
where the man must be strong and not show emotions. The
vocalizing of an, "I love you" must be on a personal, one on one
basis. Telling all the children in a group that you love them
all, has not the impact of a personal, "I love you."
If you are estranged from a child or your own parent,
there is no better time than now, to break the silence with an,
"I love you;" tomorrow may be too late.
My father was strong having shown no "weaker emotions"
during my childhood. I had never heard him say, "I love
you." When I was 17 or 18 I broke the barrier. Feeling
very weird about saying such to another man, I told my father "I
love you." He still did not reciprocate, but the sparkle
in his eyes told more than words. We never had another such
exchange. He has since died in a drowning accident but that one
moment, that sparkle in his eye, will remain with me to my
grave.
- Roger W Hancock,
© May 19, 2007,
www.PoetPatriot.com |
TimeLine of
Father's Day - Father's Day
'round the World -
A Father's
Love? - Father's Day Trivia
- Father's Day Links
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Father's Day Links |
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Sources:
http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjhol/a/fathersday.htm
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http://chi.gospelcom.net/DAILYF/2001/06/daily-06-19-2001.shtml
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http://festivals.iloveindia.com/fathers-day/fathers-day-origin.html
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http://www.rumela.com/events/father_day_index.htm -
http://www.ideafinder.com/guest/calendar/fathersday.htm -
http://www.loveyoufather.com/fathers-day-history/index.html
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http://www.indobase.com/fathersday/fathersday-history.html -
http://www.fathersdaycelebration.com/fathers-day-history.html
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http://www.infoplease.com/spot/fathersdayhist.html -
http://blackdog4kids.com/holiday/dad/history.html -
http://www.fathers.net/historyoffathersday.htm -
http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/father/history.html
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http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/dad/about.html
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http://german.about.com/od/holidaysfolkcustoms/a/vatertag.htm
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/dadcensus1.html -
http://www.girlpower.gov/GIRLAREA/06jun/dadhistory.htm -
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100430
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http://www.snopes.com/holidays/fathersday/collect.asp -
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/halloween/spending.asp -
www.chieftain.com/metro/833263200/15/sea -
http://www.rootsweb.com/~waclacem/OldCity/records.pdf -
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mothersday/a/statistics.htm
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under consideration
http://www.livescience.com/history/060617_fathers_day.html -
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