Father's Day is almost here.

 Well, Mother's day 2012 is history and Father's Day is almost here.

Although it is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide, 

many countries observe this day on the third Sunday in June.

  In the United States, Father's Day is celebrated on that day too. 

Is a celebration the contribution that fathers and father figures make for their children's lives. 

This is a relatively modern holiday and families have a range of different traditions. 

They can go from a phone call or greetings card to large parties honoring all of the 'father' figures in a particular extended family. Father figures can include fathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and even other male relatives.   

The most common Father's Day gifts include sports items or clothing, electronic gadgets, outdoor cooking supplies and all kind of tools for household maintenance.

Some Background  

There are some suggestions that the idea of Father's Day may originate in pagan sun worship. Some branches of paganism see the sun as the father of the universe. The June solstice occurs around the same time of year as Father's Day so some people see a link between the two.

The idea of a special day to honor fathers and celebrate fatherhood was introduced from the United States. An event that, that may have inspired the idea of Father's Day in The United States, was a memorial service held in 1908 for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia in December 1907.

   An influential figure in the establishment of Father's Day, 

was a woman called Sonora Smart Dodd.

 After the death of their mother, her father raised six children by himself.    

This was something uncommon at that time, as many widowers placed

 their children in the care of others or quickly married again.

Sonora was inspired by the work of Anna Jarvis, 

who had pushed for Mother's Day celebrations. 

Sonora felt that her father deserved recognition for what he had done. 

The first time Father's Day was held in June was in 1910. 

Father's Day was officially recognized as a holiday in 1972 by President Nixon.

 Father's Day in other countries

  Father’s Day is celebrated in different dates, it varies from country to country. It is celebrated in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the third Sunday of June. 

It is also observed in countries such as Argentina, Canada, France, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Venezuela and India.  

Father's Day in India is a relatively new concept but although on a smaller scale,
it is celebrated in similar ways as in the United Kingdom or the United States.
In metropolitan cities and bigger towns there is a greater awareness of
 Fathers Day events due to the greater exposure to the western cultures in these areas.

In Australia and New Zealand Father’s Day is on the first Sunday in September. 

In Thailand it is celebrated on December 5, which is the birthday of the country’s king. 

Brazilian dads are honored on the second Sunday of August. 

 In Mexico Father’s Day is referred to as “Día del Padre”. 

There, families get together, prepare meals and distribute gifts to fathers or father figures. 

   

Father's Day is not a federal holiday in most countries, with exception to Thailand because it falls on the same day as the King’s Birthday, which is a public holiday.