Anyone with XY chromosomes can be a man, but it takes a special kind of man to be a father. And once a year, around the beginning of summer, we pay tribute to those terrific dads on Father’s Day. In 2021, this day of tribute happens to fall precisely on the first day of summer, namely Sunday, June 20.
Fathers are those natural teachers and mentors who educate and guide us. We learn from them not only through their words, but also by observing their actions. In the same way as we owe a debt to our mothers, much of the development of our human maturity comes from the paths of experience laid out for us by our fathers. Both sons and daughters have very special relationships with their fathers, and they are all just as unique as the dad and his offspring are individually.
The celebration of Father’s Day was first brought to North and South America from the Spanish and Portuguese explorers of some centuries ago. Nowadays, some 92 nations of the world celebrate Father’s Day on the same day as Canada, including the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, China, Japan, France, and Hungary. However, there are a myriad of differences in dates on which it is also celebrated in other nations, often based on historical circumstances.
The original roots of Father’s Day harken all the way back to the Catholic countries of Europe as early as 1508. This day of recognition was specifically in honour of Saint Joseph, the Nutritor Domini (“Nourisher of the Lord”) and father of Jesus Christ. This is why, to this day, Father’s Day is commemorated on the Feast of Saint Joseph (March 19) in several European countries including Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Croatia.
The concept of a worldwide Father’s Day was bandied about for centuries, but in modernity it was officially made a day of recognition in 1908 thanks to a woman named Grace Golden Clayton of Barboursville, West Virginia. On December 6, 1907, a coal mining explosion in the nearby town of Monongah killed 361 men, of which exactly 250 were fathers. She successfully petitioned the local pastor to hold a memorial service that occurred on July 5, the closest Sunday to her own father’s birthday. Little did she know this local event would ultimately become an annual global affair of enormous magnitude.
Some countries are unique in their versions of Father’s Day including Germany, which marks the occasion by celebrating the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, always on Holy Thursday, and this year happened to fall on May 13. In Russia, citizens celebrate “Defender of the Fatherland Day” (in honour of its armed forces), which is always held on February 23 regardless of the day of
the week.
The usual Canadian customs for Father’s Day include: making dad breakfast in bed; taking him out golfing or to the driving range; going to a baseball game; playing ball hockey on the driveway or together with a group of neighbours; heading out fishing; and in more cases than not, the odd beers are involved (the even ones too).
So don’t be shy – enjoy Father’s Day this June 20 with your “old man” and spoil him through any means you know he’ll love!
