Father's Day 2017: Different countries celebrate on different dates
Each year, families from all over the world remember their fathers through a mass celebration called Father's Day.
The tradition started back in the Middle Ages when the Catholics celebrated Father's Day together with the Feast of St. Joseph. Nonetheless, the occasion was formally recognized only about a hundred years ago in the United States and in 1940s in the United Kingdom.
Currently, there are mixed insights into how Father's Day was marked in the calendar. There are some who believe that Grace Golden Clayton from Fairmont, West Virginia, suggested the idea in 1908, as a tribute to the 360 men died in a mine explosion. On the other hand, there are others who believe that it was a man named Sonora Dodd who suggested it after hearing a homily about Mother's Day in 1910.
Nonetheless, the event is now considered a public holiday in the United States, after President Richard Nixon officially declared it a holiday in 1972.
Father's Day is usually celebrated on the third Sunday of June, which means that this year, it will take place on June 18. However, not all countries commemorate the said event in the same month.
According to The Sun, most of the countries such as Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Japan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom celebrate Father's Day in June.
However, there are countries that celebrate Father's Day three months after June, particularly in September. These include Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand.
Likewise, there are nations from other parts of Europe that celebrate the said event three months earlier, particularly on March 19. These include countries like Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland.
On the other hand, some parts of Europe such as Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden celebrate on the second Sunday of November. As for Bulgaria, the Balkan nation remembers fathers on December 26.
The Sun said that the dates when Father's Day is celebrated in each region depend on the country's culture and tradition.
