Cornwall ON – Today is Father’s Day; a day to honour, love and respect that special man in our lives who generally without we wouldn’t be here. It’s also a melancholy day for those of us who’s Father has passed away, and then for those who grew up without a dad; one of the saddest of things on the planet.
The Official Father’s Day holiday in the US took Richard Nixon to make it a National Holiday in 1972 even though the genesis of the holiday was around 1907. There were fears of crass commercialization of the holiday.
While the dates and customs may be different all over the world; Father’s get their day!
In the Arab world Father’s Day is the first day of Summer as Mother’s Day is the first day of Spring.
In Germany, Father’s Day (Vatertag) is celebrated differently from other parts of the world.[28][29] It is always celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday forty days after Easter), which is a federal holiday. Regionally, it is also called men’s day, Männertag, or gentlemen’s day, Herrentag. It is tradition, especially in the north and east of the country but much less so in the south and west, for groups of males (young and old but usually excluding pre-teenage boys) to do a hiking tour with one or more smaller wagons, Bollerwagen, pulled by manpower. In the wagons are wine or beer (according to region) and traditional regional food, Hausmannskost. Many men use this holiday as an opportunity to get drunk.[29]
These traditions are probably rooted in Christian Ascension Day’s processions to the farmlands,[30][31] some of which reportedly took on the character of drinking sprees as early as in the 17th century.[30] Similar “gentlemen parties” have also taken place in the streets of urban areas, especially Berlin, since the 19th century.[30] However, many fathers opt to spend the day with their families instead and refrain from getting drunk.[30][31] Many people will take the following Friday off at work, and some schools are closed on that Friday as well; many people then use the resulting four-day long weekend for a short vacation. (sourced from Wikipedia)
Either way if you are lucky enough to be with your Dad on Father’s Day give him a big hug and let him know how much he means to you. 🙂
2002 was my last Father’s day with my dad and I’ll always miss him as I’m sure thousands of you reading this miss yours. One of my fondest memories of my dad was when I was young and on a Doctor maintained diet; that if I lost weight at the weigh in he’d take me out for supper. I know; it’s crazy, but that’s what dad’s do for us sometimes. They teach us how to drive; and bail us out of trouble. They watch us make our mistakes and sometimes we even listen to their advice. They fight for us; they support us; and they love us unconditionally.
Dad’s are very special. We need more days than one to honour them.
Feel free to post your tribute to your Dad below.
