Father's Day is celebrated every third Sunday of June. It is the occasion to thank our parents for their protection, the time spent with them and above all the love they give us.
father's day story
In the Middle Ages, Father's Day was a Christian celebration dedicated to Joseph, the nurturing father of Jesus. Catholic countries then celebrate Father's Day during the festival of San José, on March 19. This tradition is still respected in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland.
Father's Day loses its religious connotation at the beginning of the 20th century in the United States. It is in 1909, that a young woman named Sonora Louise registered a petition to establish a day dedicated to the father. This idea came to him listening to an oath in church during Mother's Day. Sonora had grown up without a mother and her father had taken care of her education and that of her 4 brothers and sisters on their farm. Sonora would choose the month of June to celebrate Father's Day, because that was the month of her father's birth.
It is June 19, 1910 in the city of Spokane, Washington, that the first Father's Day is celebrated and becomes a local holiday. In 1916, President Wilson is encouraged to celebrate Father's Day as a family while members of Congress refuse to establish Father's Day as an official holiday.
In 1924, the idea of instituting an official day dedicated to the popes grows in the minds of the Americans. New President Calvin Coolidge writes to each state governor to say that he finds a holiday for fathers helpful in "strengthening the bonds between fathers and their children." But unfortunately, the request is not accepted by everyone.
It is in 1957, almost 30 years after Senator Chase Smith decided to impose the Father's Day holiday on the entire United States. It was logical for him that Father's Day should be celebrated: "we honor the festivities of Father's and Mother's Day or we do not honor any day." However, the Father's Day holiday took a long time to be adopted and made official and in 1966 with President Lyndon Johnson that "Father's Day" was declared official every third Sunday in June.
The institution of Father's Day in Mexico
In Mexico, the celebration of Father's Day began to spread in schools around the 1950s, although in later years it became a consumer party sponsored by large commercial chains. However, in many homes in our country, the party is an occasion for family reunion and for the recognition of parents.
How is Father's Day celebrated in Mexico?
In Mexico, Father's Day is celebrated relatively calmly and with much less intensity than Mother's Day. According to INEGI data, only 50% of Mexicans celebrate Father's Day, far removed from the 78% of Mexicans who celebrate Mother's Day.
How it falls on a Sunday, Father's Day is usually a day spent with the family. Father's Day usually includes a big party around dads' favorite food. Cards, crafts, chocolates, works of art, t-shirts and other gifts are an example of what parents receive the most in gratitude from their families and, of course, from their children. Community activities such as popular races, school events and some activities are also included in order to unite families on this special day.
