Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a relatively new holiday in U.S. holiday calendar. A Day, celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, was officially made a national holiday by President Nixon in 1972. But the history of the holiday begins much earlier.

Sonora Smart Dodd, whose father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children, started promoting this holiday in 1910. Inspired by the example of Anna Jarvis, who was trying to establish Mother’s Day in memory of her mother, Sonora decided to push for a similar celebration honoring fathers. She was supported by trade groups, manufacturing traditional presents for men, such as ties and tobacco pipes. Since 1938 she had the help of the Father’s Day Council, founded by the New York Associated Men’s Wear Retailers. Americans ignored the holiday for a long time since they viewed it only as an attempt by merchants to benefit from the celebration. But the traders continued their efforts to promote the holiday, and they finally succeeded. Today Father’s Day is a Second Christmas for all the men’s gift-oriented industries. Common Father’s Day gifts include electronic gadgets, sports items or clothing, tools for household maintenance and outdoor cooking supplies.

Though many criticize the increasing commercialization of Father’s Day, it is still a very important family holiday because it celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children. Their role and their contribution cannot be overemphasized. Father’s Day is a good occasion to show our dear fathers, grandfathers, and grand grandfathers how much they mean to us and how much we appreciate what they do for us.

Father’s Day is celebrated in the United States annually on the third Sunday in June.

In 2026 Father’s Day in USA falls on June 21.