Father's Day is a holiday to celebrate fatherhood and parenting by males, as Mother's Day celebrates motherhood and mothering. Retailers encourage the giving of hardware, tools and other stereotypically male gifts on the day. It is also a typical day for father-and-son forays or no-girls-allowed get-togethers in some countries.
History
United States
In the United States, the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd whose father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart , had as a single parent raised his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday in June. Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. Woodrow Wilson was personally so feted by his family in 1916, and Calvin Coolidge recommended it in 1924. The all-male U.S. Congress, however, was mindful that passing a measure so favorable to males could be seen as a conflict of interest. Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday in 1966, but the holiday was not officially recognized until the presidency of Richard Nixon in 1972.
Date
Almost all over the world, a Father's Day exists, to honor, commemorate, ... fathers or forefathers. In Christian/Catholic tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day (March 19). Obviously, other traditions will have other days to celebrate their fathers. Actually, in many tradionally Christian/Catholic countries a more 'secular/non-religious' Father's day is also held.
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Australia and New Zealand: the first Sunday in September
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Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom: the third Sunday in June.
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Belgium: St Joseph's day (which is March 19), and the second Sunday in June ("Secular")
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Brazil: the second Sunday in August
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Bulgaria: June 20
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Germany: on Ascension Day (originally inteded by socialists to replace the Christian holiday, but now the two are generally combined)
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Lithuania: the first Sunday in June
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Republic of China (Taiwan): August 8
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The word for the date, ba ba, (8/8) is a homophone of the word for father in Mandarin Chinese, "爸爸" bāba.
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Scandinavia (Including Finland): the second Sunday in November
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Portugal, Spain: March 19
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Thailand: December 5, birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
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