Father’s day is celebrated by people all across the world and one would find it hard to believe that this tradition began in a place not too far from Moscow – Spokane, Wash. This tradition started in the early 1900s when Sonora Smart Dodd found the need to celebrate her father. In 1972, the third Sunday in June was established as the official Father’s day in the United States.
illustration by Erin Dawson | summer arg
The tradition of Father’s day has become a part of other cultures around the world. Countries throughout the world have also adopted the various activities that go with it.
One can tell who and what a father means to different people around the world from the way they celebrate father’s day. In most countries where father’s day is celebrated, people show love to their fathers in different ways by taking them out to eat or giving them gifts. Some people honor only their biological father during father’s day while some honor every man that stands as a father figure in their lives.
People celebrate Father’s day and respect their fathers but one has to wonder if people just do this out of the pressure from the society to celebrate or because they sincerely want to. Father’s day has been commercialized but what if you want to show your love and respect for your father in a different way other than gifts and without spending too much money? Would your way of celebrating be considered inferior compared to those that have bought expensive gifts?
Coming from a background where Fathers day was not as much of a big deal as Mothers day, it was up to families to determine the level of importance they wanted to place on this celebration. While some children bought gifts for their fathers and followed all the traditions of Father’s day, others did not and this did not mean that they loved their fathers any less.
It is obvious that the events celebrated by a society shows what is important or not in that society. Men or fathers are expected to be bread winners and have so much pressure placed on them to meet this expectation.
When they do meet the expectation, there is no reason to celebrate them since they just did what they were supposed to, nothing out of the ordinary. As a matter of fact, it would have been considered an insult, celebrating a man because he accomplished his duties. Men in this society also do not expect to be celebrated for accomplishing what they regard as their duty but despite this, they know that they are highly appreciated and respected.
When another Father’s day celebration comes around, remember it is not the numerous gifts or pleasant surprises that make the day but the genuine love and appreciation that are being shown. Fathers should not only be appreciated on one day of the year alone. They should be respected and honored every day of the year. You can make it a point to celebrate your father more often than only on fathers’ day.