The celebration of Father's Day is a date marked on calendars. On this day, it is common for children to show their love and gratitude to their parents with gifts such as cards, flowers or sweets. But why is it celebrated on this date?
March 19 is St. Joseph's Day in most European Catholic countries, a date on which which is also celebrated on Father's Day in Spain. Countries like Italy, Bolivia or Uruguay also share the same holiday.
Others, like Russia, make Father's Day coincide with Defenders of the Fatherland Day on February 23, while in Libya, Jordan and Palestine it coincides with the first day of summer, June 21.
However, in the United States, the Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. Several European countries, such as France or the United Kingdom and most Ibero-American countries also followed the American date, which is why they currently celebrate Father's Day on this same day.
These countries leave the celebration of International Men's Day until March 19, taking San José as an example. However, the date of Men's Day is celebrated internationally in November, and not in March.
The history of Father's Day dates back to 1910, when Sonora Smart, an American, decided to honor her father with a party in gratitude for the love he had passed on to his six children after the death of his wife during childbirth of the last one. It is said that Smart was the promoter of this celebration in the United States, with the first official statement coming in 1924 from President Calvin Coolidge, who supported the idea.
It was not until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson's definitive declaration arrived, establishing the current date of the anniversary in the United States. The celebration gained followers and spread throughout the world, with different dates and traditions.
In Spain, the story is more recent. In 1948, Manuela Vicente, a teacher from Madrid, proposed in an article, titled "The Spanish teaching profession", that Father's Day be celebrated in all Spanish schools. Its objective was to achieve equality between men and women in relation to having a designated date on the calendar.
The rapid adoption of this holiday in Spain was due not only to schools, but also to the support of commerce. Back then, the "man of the house" became the main target during the week leading up to Father's Day, with major retailers carefully selecting gifts dedicated especially to him. Stores around the world are clear examples of this, seeing March 19 as the perfect excuse to offer the public a wide variety of presents.