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Father's Day

Father

By Dylan M ParkinPublished 2 years ago 8 min read
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Father's Day, as the name implies, is a holiday of thanksgiving for fathers. It began around the turn of the twentieth century in the United States and has spread widely around the world, with the date varying from region to region. The most widespread date is the third Sunday in June, and Father's Day is celebrated on this day in 52 countries and regions around the world. The holiday is celebrated in a variety of ways, most of which are associated with gift-giving, family dinners or activities. Mainland China does not officially have an official Father's Day. However, mainlanders customarily use the third Sunday in June as Father's Day; Father's Day in Taiwan, China, is celebrated on August 8. Father's Day in Taiwan is celebrated on August 8 of each year, also known as the "8th of August Day". This is because the word "888" is similar to father, and the word "888" is joined together to resemble the word "father", so Father's Day is specifically set on August 8.

Origin

In 1909, a woman named Bruce Dodd in Washington, D.C., was celebrating Mother's Day when she suddenly had the idea that if there was a Mother's Day, why couldn't there be a Father's Day?

Mrs. Dodd and her five brothers had lost their mother at an early age and were raised by their loving father. Many years have passed and the six siblings always recall their father's hard work in raising the family on the anniversary of his birth. With the support of Dr. Rasmus, she wrote a letter to the state government calling for the establishment of Father's Day and suggesting that it be celebrated on June 5, her father's birthday.

The state government adopted her suggestion and hastily set Father's Day on the 19th, the third Sunday in June 1909. The following year, Mrs. Dodd's city of Spokane officially celebrated the holiday when the mayor proclaimed a Father's Day proclamation, making it a statewide day of remembrance.

Later, other states also celebrated Father's Day. On Father's Day, people choose specific flowers to honor their fathers. Mrs. Dodd's suggestion of wearing red roses to show affection for surviving fathers and white roses to pay tribute to deceased fathers was adopted. Later in Vancouver, people chose to wear white lilacs, and Pennsylvanians paid tribute to their fathers with dandelions.

In 1972, President Nixon officially signed a congressional resolution establishing Father's Day. The holiday was finally established in the form of a law and has been in use ever since.

It took a little longer for Father's Day to be established as a holiday throughout the United States than Mother's Day. Because the idea of establishing Father's Day was so popular, businessmen and manufacturers began to see business opportunities. Not only did they encourage those who were children to send cards to their fathers, but they also encouraged them to buy small gifts like ties and socks to give to their fathers as a token of respect. [1]

China

The origins of Father's Day in China go back to the Republic of China, when on August 8, 1945, Shanghai launched a Father's Day celebration, to which the public immediately responded, and after the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, celebrities from all walks of life in Shanghai jointly requested the Shanghai Municipal Government to forward a letter to the central government, setting "Dad" harmonized with August 8 as a national Father's Day, on which people wear flowers to express their respect and thoughts for their fathers.

The time was August 6, 1945, and Shanghai's "Declaration" published an article "The Origin of Father's Day on August 8". According to the article, the United States initiated the creation of Mother's Day to honor the wives and mothers of soldiers who died in the European War. Now, China should also initiate the creation of its own Father's Day. Because the word "father" is the same as "888" and "888" is pronounced the same as "father," Shanghai citizens are called upon to celebrate "888" together. The citizens of Shanghai were called upon to celebrate "Father's Day on August 8". At that time, although the Japanese army had been defeated, it had not yet surrendered, and Shanghai was still under its control, so this initiative was a risky way to "implicitly express remembrance of the motherland. At the end of the article, there are 10 people publicly named as the first advocates: Yan Huiqing, Yuan Xilian, Chen Qingshi, Mei Lanfang, Shi Zhifu, Yan Dhuhe, Fei Mu, Lu Ganchen, Fu Wenshou, and Zhang Yichu.

All the above-mentioned people are celebrities, and although they have been in the fallen areas for a long time, their patriotic spirit still exists. Yan Huiqing, for example, served as Foreign Minister and Acting Premier of State during the Beiyang era, but when Hong Kong fell in December 1941, he was captured by the Japanese and forced to return to Shanghai the following year, insisting that he would not serve in any official capacity in the Wang government. [2]

In 1945, the "Father's Day" campaign was initiated by private citizens, but its impact was limited. In May 1946, dozens of Shanghai celebrities, including Pan Gongzhan, Li Shizeng, Song Hanzhang, Wang Xiaolai, Du Yuesheng, Wu Zhihui, Li Denghui (former president of Fudan University), and Qian Yongming, jointly requested the National Government to designate August 8 of each year as "Father's Day". The reason is: "China's eight-year war of resistance has finally been won, and the number of soldiers killed in the eight years is uncountable, and the brave spirit of these soldiers, who have gone forward and backward to kill the enemy, is actually the result of their fathers' regular upbringing and encouragement at all times. After the First World War, Ms. Gavilan of the United States initiated Mother's Day to commemorate the wives and mothers of the fallen soldiers in the European War because of their great contribution to the country; we should follow the precedent of Father's Day and commemorate the fathers and brothers of the fallen soldiers in this war because they also had a great influence on the country, so that both fathers and mothers can be honored together."

The request was approved by the National Government. Every year on August 8, Father's Day became a national holiday. On this day, children wore flowers in honor of their fathers - red flowers for those who were alive and white flowers for those who had passed away. ④ Related promotion work also followed. For example, as one of the first proponents of Father's Day, Yan Huiqing was invited to give a speech on Father's Day at the YMCA on August 7, 1946. "He spoke about the status and responsibilities of fathers in different societies. The next day, he wrote in his diary, "The newspapers are full of reports about 'Father's Day'.

Date of the holiday

February 13 every year: Russia

March 19 every year: Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain (St. Joseph's Day)

May 8 every year: South Korea (Two Parents' Day)

Every year on Ascension Day: Germany

June 4 every year: Denmark

First Sunday in June every year: Lithuania

Every year on the second Sunday of June: Austria, Belgium

Third Sunday in June every year: China, Singapore, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Zimbabwe ......

June 20 every year: Bulgaria

23rd of June every year: Nicaragua, Poland

Last Sunday in July every year: Dominican Republic

Every year on August 8: Taiwan, China

Every year on the second Sunday of August: Brazil

First Sunday of September every year: New Zealand, Australia

Every second Sunday in November: Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden

5th December every year: Thailand (King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday)

Cultural significance

1. The significance of commemorative culture: On August 8, 1945, the dawn of national victory in the war had crept in, and the aspirants in Shanghai came up with the idea of Father's Day in order to commemorate the fathers who had died for their country during the war. As a result, Shanghai literati initiated the celebration of Father's Day, and citizens immediately responded by holding celebrations. After the war was won, the Shanghai Municipal Government was asked by prominent gentlemen from all walks of life to forward the request to the central government to make August 8, which is the day that resonates with "father", Father's Day, and the government attached great importance to this request and held a special meeting to discuss and officially determine August 8 every year as Father's Day in China.

2, the meaning of the written culture: August 8, the two "eight" characters overlap together, after the deformation of the word "father", the written pronunciation of the harmonic "father", the eight day that is Father's Day The name is both creative and catchy, simple to remember and loud.

3, Chinese filial piety culture meaning: the five thousand years of Chinese filial culture has been pervasive, immersion in the Chinese land; filial thought, concept, practice, everywhere, all the time. August 8 echoes the long-standing traditional Chinese festival of respect for the elderly, the "99" Chongyang Festival.

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