Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in some countries, Siblings Day, Children's Day, and Grandparents' Day. The day is held on various dates across the world, and different regions maintain their own traditions of honoring fatherhood.
In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the United States, Father's Day was founded in the state of Washington by Sonora Smart Dodd in 1910. Father's Day is a recognized public holiday in Lithuania and some parts of Spain and was regarded as such in Italy until 1977. It is a national holiday in Samoa, and equivalently in South Korea, where it is celebrated as Parents' Day.
For centuries, the Eastern Orthodox Church has appointed the second Sunday before Nativity as the Sunday of the Forefathers to commemorate the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh, starting with Adam and emphasizing the patriarch Abraham, to whom God said,
In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
This feast can fall between 11 and 17 December. This feast includes the ancestors of Mary, mother of Jesus and various prophets.
A customary day for the celebration of fatherhood in Catholic Europe is known to date back to at least 1508. It is usually celebrated on 19 March, as the feast day of Saint Joseph, who is referred to as the fatherly Nutritor Domini ("Nourisher of the Lord") in Catholicism and "the putative father of Jesus" in southern European tradition. This celebration was brought to the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese. The Catholic Church actively supported the custom of a celebration of fatherhood on St. Joseph's Day from either the last years of the 14th century or from the early 15th century, apparently on the initiative of the Franciscans.
In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the celebration of fatherhood is also observed on St Joseph's Day, but the Copts observe this on 20 July. The Coptic celebration may date back to the fifth century.
In the United States, whether to celebrate this day nationwide or not is a matter for debate. In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton proposed the day to honor those men who had died in a mining accident in the US. Though it was not accepted then, in 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd, who along with her five brothers was raised by her father alone, after attending Mother's Day in a church, convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association to celebrate Father's Day nationwide.
In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day is celebrated in many countries on 19 November in honor of both men and boys.
"Father's Day" is spelled as a singular possessive following the precedent established by its predecessor, Mother's Day. In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrase "Second Sunday in May, Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, Founder." Jarvis specifically noted that "Mother's" should "be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world."
The following is a list of when Father's Day is celebrated, in order of date of observance.
In Algeria, the third Sunday in June is the dedicated day to celebrate the Father's Day.
In Kenya, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday.
In Morocco, the third Sunday in June is the dedicated day to celebrate the Father's Day.
In Mozambique, Father's Day is observed on 19 March every year.
In Nigeria, the third Sunday in June is the dedicated day to celebrate Father's Day.
In Seychelles, Father's Day is celebrated on 16 June and is not a public holiday.
In South Africa, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. It is not a public holiday.