Celebrating Dads
First Sunday of September is a special time of year when we honour
Dads. Fathers are often wrongly depicted in the media as angry, or
dead-beat which is a huge misrepresentation of most fathers out there who work
hard and give their children love, guidance, and strength.
The origin of Father’s Day is not clear. Some say that it began
with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father’s
Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
The president of the Chicago branch of the Lions’ Club, Harry Meek,
is said to have celebrated the first Father’s Day with his organization in
1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest
date to Meek’s own birthday!
Nearly every culture across the globe has ways of celebrating their
fathers and thanking them for all they do. Each culture shows tribute to their
fathers in different ways and at different times of the year but in the end we
are all honouring the men who helped raise us and play an important role in
society as a whole.
At schools from the UK and Ireland, to Australia and South Africa
it is not uncommon for communities to organize large scale parties to celebrate
Dads and emphasize the important role they have.
Father’s Day is a new concept in India and has only been celebrated
for a decade. In the US and Canada Father’s Day is a good time for family
reunions and to let him know the difference he’s made often with simple gifts
and dinners made especially for him. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe fathers have
a special day to recognize all that they do for us.
Best wishes and Happy Father’s Day!
