Father’s Day and Mother’s Day have become part and parcel of our yearly routine. Every time you are reminded with the date a week away which quickly sparks a frantic rush to the shop to pick up a card and novelty gift that they will get a few uses from. This is all done in the name of appreciation for our parents, for raising us in this world and helping to sculpt who we are today. Yup, sounds like the spiel I hear splattered all over the place as the third Sunday of every June approaches. However, Father’s Day did have humble beginnings, and it does at least encourage us to get in touch with our parents at least once a year.

Origins:

Quite when Father’s Day began is still up for debate, in fact some have speculated that it was celebrated way back in Babylon over 4,000 years ago. But in a contemporary context, the modern equivalent began roughly in 1910 in Washington, America. Championed by Ms. Sonora Dodd who was raised by her widowed father from birth, she sought to have a day to celebrate the contribution that father’s make. Like many celebrations of the time, this was typically commemorated by a return home and a trip to church.

As Father’s Day grew in popularity in the States, the first real public backing came through President Woodrow Wilson who supported the idea. His lead was later followed by another US President, Calvin Coolidge who supported the plan to create a national Father’s Day in 1924. Even in its infancy, there was concern that both Father’s and Mother’s Day were becoming a commercial tool and it was proposed that both should be combined into a single day of appreciation.

The Struggle:

Somewhat ironically, it was during the depression that this theory really began to become true. To combat the financial chaos, marketers ramped up promotions for both separate days, seeing it as an opportunity to establish a ‘second Christmas’. Billboards were covered with promotions for hats, socks, pipes and tobacco. Especially without religious origins, Father’s Day was quickly becoming a way of creating a quick buck, rather than really showing appreciation.

A historian commented that father’s at the time “scoffed at the holiday’s attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving. That, or they saw it as a commercial gimmick to sell more products – often paid for by the father himself”.

The reason for Father’s Day changed once again during the second world war, as the appreciation was adapted to honour troops and to support the war effort. While it was to not officially celebrated every year, it was during this period that Father’s Day became a national institution.

Consolidation:

Having struggled for over four decades for official recognition, it was President Lyndon B. Johnson who finally signed a presidential proclamation which certified Father’s Day as a national day of celebration on the third Sunday in June of every year. Finally, President Richard Nixon established the day as a permanent national observance and ensured that we would still be celebrating Father’s Day even now.

Like many celebrations, Father’s Day came to Britain as part of Americanisation, and we too embraced appreciating everything that they do in our lives. Even if Father’s Day can be accused of being over-commercialised, there is little to dispute the fact that it at least forces us to get in touch with our parents and re-connect.

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