What is The History of Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a very important feature in every civilized society. The main purpose of this day is to honour the fathers, and to pay tribute to their role in the society. This day is all about celebrating fatherhood and paternal bonds.

Major part of the world celebrates this day on the third Sunday of June. But there are no hard and fast rules, as the day is celebrated widely on other days. History of Father’s Day is not very long. If you go a little more than 100 years back, you won’t find any day of this nature.

There are different opinions on this though. A few scholars opine that the history of Father’s Day is much older than the world believes it to be. There is a theory that the tradition of paying tribute to the fathers on a particular day is nearly 4,000 years old. A few others have an entirely different take on this.

Instructions

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    Early History

    According to some scholars, the custom of celebrating Father’s Day can be traced in the ruins of Babylon. The group of these historians believe that a boy called Elmesu wrote a special card for his father nearly 4,000 years ago.

    The card was made out of clay, and the boy wished his father good health and long life. There is no specific history available about the boy and his father, but it is considered the boy’s card was actually the beginning of Father’s Day.

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    History in USA

    Father’s Day was originally celebrated in United States of America (USA) in the early 20th century. The day was inaugurated to compliment Mother's Day. America is the origin of modern Father’s Day celebrations.

    The entire credit goes to Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, a loving daughter from Spokane, who struggled hard to highlight this event. The idea came to her mind in 1909, when she took inspiration from Ms Anna Jarvis's struggle to promote Mother's Day.

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    Expansion of Father’s Day

    The idea of Father’s Day received great response from the entire world. The Spokane Ministerial Association and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) backed Sonora's cause and as a result, the first official Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910. The idea took hardly a few years to gain massive popularity. The day was approved by US President Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

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    Other Theories

    A lot of people believe that the first Father’s Day was observed in West Virginia in 1908. Some opine that Mrs. Charles Clayton of West Virginia was the founder of this occasion. Senator, Margaret Chase Smith also played an important role in highlighting the idea in 1957.

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