The question that many people ask is, 'When is Father’s Day?' It’s a good question too, seeing that Father’s Day is celebrated across most months by different countries. Add to this, the date shifts slightly each year and you can see the confusion!

The United Kingdom celebrates Father’s Day in June, like a lot of countries, such as Canada, the United States, Greece and so on, with people often sending Father's Day messages, gifts and special Father's Day cards. However, Australia and New Zealand celebrate in September and Thailand celebrates in December. So the real question is, why do we celebrate Father’s Day and where did all the different dates originate from?

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In the United Kingdom Father’s Day is annually celebrated on the third Sunday in June, which is the same day as the United States

Although different people over time expressed the notion of honouring fathers, it was Sonara Smart Dodd that was acknowledged as the creator of Father’s Day as she was the catalyst for Father’s Day becoming a national holiday in the United States. Sonara chose June 5th for Father’s Day as that was her father’s birthday, however pastors needed more time to make their sermons on this new topic so it was postponed until the third Sunday in June, which then became the yearly occasion.

It is believed that the UK follows US tradition and many other places observe it too. On the other hand, on March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day and this is when some countries, particularly in Latin America and Europe, celebrate their fathers.

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The notion of Father’s Day can be dated back to Europe in medieval times where Catholics celebrated St. Joseph’s Day. Joseph was shown to be the perfect model of a father as he helped raise Jesus as his own child and other fathers were meant to follow his example.  

The idea of celebrating and honouring your father dates back for centuries in Europe and even all the way back to ancient Babylon 4000 years ago. Archaeologists found an ancient Babylonian tablet, signed from a son named Elmesu, with wishes for health and a long life to his father carved into it and this Father’s Day message is the earliest to be found.

Since then, the modern version of Father’s Day is likely to have come from the United States over a hundred years ago.

Throughout the US there were quite a few people who raised the idea of Father’s Day, which led to different people claiming themselves as the creator of Father’s Day in the US. However, the official founder of Father’s Day is Sonara Dodd, who was one of six children raised by her widowed, Civil War Veteran father. She wanted to create a celebration like Mother’s Day to honour fathers as well and she achieved the first Father’s Day celebration citywide in Spokane, Washington in 1910.

Father’s Day only became a national holiday many decades later in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day an official holiday on the third Sunday of June.

Father’s Day in the United Kingdom is not a public holiday but the UK and many other countries followed the American tradition.

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The date for Father’s Day is most commonly on the third Sunday in June, which was a tradition that originated from the US. However, globally this day falls on different dates due to many reasons, such as religion, traditions, seasons and so on.

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All around the world countries celebrate Father’s Day in various ways and at different times. Here is an example of 17 countries’ traditions and celebrations:

Each year these countries observe Father’s Day on March 19th in honour of Joseph of Nazareth, father of Jesus, as this day is the Feast of St. Joseph. This day involves cards, presents and going to church.

Mexico observes Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June and is celebrated through presents, food and activities. In Mexico City’s Bosque de Tlalpan the ‘Carrera Día del Padre’ (Father’s Day race) 21K race takes place annually. There are different races to partake in and a very popular one is the Father/Son race.

In Brazil they pay tribute to St. Joachim by observing Father’s Day on the second Sunday in August. They honour St. Joachim as he is the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and is seen as the guardian of fathers and grandfathers. The day is celebrated through fathers/father figures being shown appreciation through presents and cards/letters full of gratitude.

Russia’s Father’s Day has evolved over time as it started as a military tribute, which was then a holiday that celebrated men. This transformed into Russia’s Father’s Day, however it is still known as Defender of the Fatherland Day due to its military origins. Every year, on February 23rd, Russia holds a parade to commemorate the Russian Armed Forces and even though it is ‘men’s day’, women who were involved in the military are also honoured. It is common for the women to give gifts to their male relatives, partners and co-workers, whether the men served in the military or not.

Germany celebrates Father’s Day on Ascension Day, which is the 40th day after Easter Sunday and marks Jesus’ ascension into heaven. They celebrate outdoors through hiking and drinking alcohol, which tends to be part of a four day weekend!

These countries originally celebrated Father’s Day in June but now celebrate it on the second Sunday in November. This is because they used to follow suit with the American Father’s Day but it was moved to November to boost the economy during a usually slower month and partially to be half a year after Mother’s Day. Father’s Day is celebrated through gifts and time with family.

In India if they choose to observe Father’s Day they do so on the same day and in a similar way to the US; they give presents, cards, go to restaurants and spend time with their fathers.

Thailand always celebrates Father’s Day on December 5th as this was the birthday of the previous King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was widely respected. The current King will give a speech and it is tradition for fathers and grandfathers to be given canna flowers, which symbolise masculinity.

Australia and New Zealand celebrate Father’s Day on the first Sunday of September which is their first Sunday of Spring. This date was chosen for convenience because the months most countries observe/celebrate Father’s Day were full of occasions and holidays already. They chose a suitable time in their calendar which also happens to line up with the start of spring and the day consists of cards and gifts.

The UK celebrates Mother’s Day on a different day to the US and Canada, yet they all share the same day for Father’s Day, the third Sunday of June. They also share the same celebration, which tends to be through gifts and cards.

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