Father’s Day: History, Fact, Event, Bible Quote & Activities

What is Father's Day? Here is everything you need to know. Save the date and plan ahead to celebrate Dad for his big day.

Father's Day is a holiday commemorating fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal connections, and the impact fathers have on their community. It was initially proposed in 1909 by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington. It is currently observed yearly on the third Sunday of June in the United States.

1. How did Father’s Day Start Its History?

Father's Day was created in the early 20th century in the United States to complement Mother's Day by honoring fathers, fathering, and fatherhood.

Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in Arkansas, established Father's Day in the Spokane, Washington YMCA in 1910. On June 19, 1910, its inaugural celebration was held at the YMCA in Spokane. Her father, Civil War soldier and single dad William Jackson Smart, reared his six children there. In 1909, after hearing a sermon at Central Methodist Episcopal Church about Anna Jarvis's Mother's Day, she persuaded her pastor that males should have a comparable holiday. The celebration was postponed to the third Sunday of June because the pastors of the Spokane Ministerial Alliance did not have sufficient time to prepare their sermons.

Initially, it did not have much success. Dodd stopped promoting the event since she was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1920s, and even in Spokane, it fell into relative obscurity. In the 1930s, Dodd returned to Spokane and began promoting the celebration once more, raising national notice.

She had the support of those industries that stood to gain the most from the holiday, such as the manufacturers of neckties, tobacco pipes, and any other customary gift for dads. The Father's Day Council, created by the New York Associated Men's Wear Retailers in 1938, assisted her in consolidating and organizing the commercial campaign.

During a few decades, Americans rejected the holiday, considering it as an attempt by retailers to mimic the business success of Mother's Day, and newspapers routinely published cynical and sarcastic comments and jokes.

However, the trade groups did not give up; they continued to promote it and even put jokes into their advertisements; eventually, they were successful. Midway through the 1980s, the Father's Council stated, "(...) (Father's Day) has become a second Christmas for all the men's gift-oriented sectors."

In 1913, a bill to grant the holiday national recognition was introduced in Congress. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson spoke at a Father's Day celebration in Spokane and wanted to make it official, but Congress objected out of concern that it would become commercialized.

In 1924, US President Calvin Coolidge suggested that the nation mark the day, but refrained from issuing a national proclamation. Congress had previously rejected two efforts to officially recognize the occasion. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith proposed a proposal in which she accused Congress of neglecting fathers for four decades while glorifying mothers, so " disregarding one of our two parents." President Lyndon B. Johnson made the first proclamation honoring fathers in 1966, declaring the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon declared the day a permanent national holiday by signing a bill into law.

In addition to Father's Day, many countries observe International Men's Day on November 19 honoring men and boys who are not fathers.

On July 5, 1908, a "Father's Day" ceremony was held at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church, in Fairmont, West Virginia. Grace Golden Clayton was mourning the death of her father when, in December 1907, the Monongah Mining Disaster in neighboring Monongah claimed the lives of 361 men, 250 of them were fathers, and left almost a thousand children fatherless.

Clayton recommended to her pastor Robert Thomas Webb that he commemorate all these fathers. Clayton chose the Sunday closest to her father's birthday, a Methodist clergyman named Fletcher Golden.

Clayton's event did not have ramifications beyond Fairmont for various reasons, including: the city was overrun with other events, the celebration was never marketed outside of the town, and the City Council did not issue a proclamation.

The celebration of Independence Day on July 4, 1908, with 12,000 attendees and many shows, including a hot air balloon event, which dominated the news in the days that followed, and the death of a 16-year-old girl on July 4 further overshadowed this event.

The local church and Council were so overwhelmed that they did not even consider marketing the event; consequently, it was not held again for many years. The original sermon was not published in the press, and it has since been lost. Clayton was a reserved individual who never promoted the event or discussed it with others.

Clayton may have also been influenced by Anna Jarvis' campaign to establish Mother's Day; two months before, Jarvis had hosted a memorial service for her deceased mother in Grafton, West Virginia, a hamlet about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Fairmont.

Jane Addams proposed a citywide Father's Day in Chicago in 1911, but her proposal was rejected.

The Irvington Methodist Church's Methodist pastor J. J. Berringer proposed a Father's Day celebration in Vancouver, Washington, in 1912. They erroneously assumed that they were the first to observe such a holiday. They adhered to a suggestion made by the Portland Oregonian in 1911.

Harry C. Meek, a member of Lions Clubs International, asserts that he conceived of Father's Day in 1915. Meek said that the third Sunday of June was picked since it was his birthday, but it would have made more sense to choose his father's birthday. The Lions Club has dubbed him "Father's Day's Founder." Meek exerted much effort to promote and make Father's Day an official holiday.

2. When is Father’s Day 2022?

Is Father's Day always on the same date? This date is subject to change from year to year, so don't feel terrible if you missed it. Remember that Father's Day always falls on the third Sunday of June, and check the calendar accordingly if you forget.

Dodd used the "Fathers' Day" spelling on her original petition for the holiday in the United States, but the spelling "Father's Day" was already in use in 1913 when the first attempt to establish the holiday was made, and it was still spelled the same way in 2008 when its creator was honored by Congress.

This year, Father's Day is on Sunday, June 19, 2022.

3. What are Father's Day Activities?

Treat him to ice cream: Everyone enjoys ice cream, therefore you should provide it to him. Treat your father to his favorite flavor, and even buy him a pint to take home.

Help Dad wash the car: If Father's Day is sunny and bright this year, it will be the ideal opportunity to wash Dad's automobile. You might make it more entertaining by filling water balloons and grabbing water guns to have a water war.

Take him to see live music: Whether your father likes jazz or country music, finding a live concert for him to attend on Father's Day is sure to warm his heart.

Go for a bike ride with the family: Father's Day is a great opportunity for the entire family to get some exercise by going on a bike ride. Explore your father's favorite hiking trails in advance, and consider packing a lunch for when you reach your destination.

Create a scavenger hunt: Give your father's Father's Day gift some added flair by letting him discover it himself. Leave him a list of puzzles and hints that will bring him directly to his gift.

Perform a concert: Nothing will make a father happier than witnessing his child perform an original song or dance at a concert. If you want to make it truly memorable, use lyrics that express your appreciation for your father.

Schedule a pottery class: Take your DIY projects to the next level by enrolling in a pottery class with your favorite guy. You can all laugh at the weird creations you make, or you can make something beautiful enough to display at home.

Break things at a rage room: Permit your father to release some steam through the cathartic activity of shattering objects in a rage room. By the time you're done rummaging through the various stuff in the room, you'll both feel more at ease.

Take him shopping: Your father may declare he doesn't want anything for Christmas this year, but he may change his mind if you let him go on a short shopping spree.

Try out axe throwing: If you want to give your father a genuinely unforgettable experience, take him axe throwing for a couple of hours. You can each take turns trying to hit the target.

Go bowling: Bowling always brings the family closer together. On Father's Day, you might divide into teams, such as parents vs children, to determine who has the best form.

Build a pillow fort: Father's Day is a great time to build a pillow fort and make lifelong memories. With a few pillows, couch cushions, and blankets, you can construct the ultimate fort, ideal for reading or starting a pillow battle.

Solve a mystery in an escape room: When you take your father to an escape room, he will channel his inner detective to solve a mystery. As you search for clues to solve the puzzle and escape, you will inevitably learn more about one another.

Work on a puzzle together: Depending on the difficulty of the challenge, this can provide countless hours of bonding and laughter. After finishing the puzzle, you may even frame it.

Visit a museum: If your father is interested in history, take him to a nearby museum. And even if history isn't his thing, there are numerous museums with interactive displays that the whole family will enjoy.

Go skydiving: Free-falling in the air may not appeal to all individuals. However, if your father is a self-proclaimed risk-taker, he may enjoy this pastime.

Compete in a mud run: If your father is competitive, he will like traversing a muck-filled obstacle course. You can even wager on who will come in first place.

Take a rock climbing class: Take him to a rock climbing class in addition to a workout and perhaps a new pastime. He will have an adrenaline surge without danger.

Hire a private chef: Allow your father to unwind on Father's Day by hiring a private chef to do the cooking.

Plan a paint and sip: Open a bottle of your father's favorite wine and get out the paintbrushes. While attempting to paint a tree, a vase, or a romantic sunset panorama, you and your partner can bond over your creative abilities or simply share a good chuckle at the end result.

4. Bible Verses About Fathers

Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Proverbs 1:8: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching."

2 Corinthians 6:18: "And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."

Psalm 103:13: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."

Proverbs 22:6: "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

2 Samuel 7:14-15: "I will be a father to him, and he'll be a son to me. When he does wrong, I'll discipline him in the usual ways, the pitfalls and obstacles of this mortal life. But I'll never remove my gracious love from him."

Proverbs 23:22: "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old."

Proverbs 23:24: "The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him."

Psalm 32:7-8: "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

Proverbs 4:11-12: "I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered, and when you run, you will not stumble."

Luke 15:20: "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

Deuteronomy 1:31: "There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

Malachi 4:6: "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers."

Hebrews 12:7: "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"