In a recent article I read an interesting article, that Father's day was being celebrated from 1909 onwards. Here are the facts I would like to share with you.
In 1909, an eastern Washington state citizen, Mrs. John B. Dodd (Senora Louise Smart Dodd), proposed the idea of Fathers Day. She wanted a special date to be set to honor her dad, William Smart.
A Civil War veteran, Mr. Smart was widowed. His wife had died while giving birth to their sixth child, and Mr. Smart was left to rear his six children on their rural farm, as a single parent.
One Sunday Mrs. Dodd heard a sermon that stressed the importance of setting aside a day to honor mothers. She began to think about her fatherâ??s sacrifice, and reflected on what her father meant to her. Senora Louise admired her dad for his years of commitment to the six of them, especially since he had taken care of them by himself.
With the support of the Spokane, Washington Ministerial Association and the YMCA, their efforts rendered success.
Fathers Day debuted in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. The rose was chosen as the Fathers Day flower, white for the deceased father and red for the father that is living. After the Spokane celebration, the Fathers Day observance spread to other cities and towns throughout the United States.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported Fathers Day as a national tradition, but it wasn't until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation ordering the third Sunday in June to be appointed as Fathers Day.
People gift their fathers with cards, flowers, and families taking their dads' out for delicious meals, or for a picnic etc.
