Here's Everything You Need to Know About Father's Day 2023
As June rolls around, keep in mind what important date it brings: Father's Day. It’s never too early to start planning out how to celebrate your dad. You can make him a special Father's Day brunch or breakfast with his favorite dishes or even surprise him with a mail-order meat delivery so he can grill up his favorite meal.
Let’s be real: Dads are hard to buy for, especially when they insist they don’t need anything. Not to fear, though, with these Father's Day gift ideas. Wrap your present with one of these Father's Day cards that’s sure to make him smile too. But first: When is Father's Day in 2023? Read on to find all you need to know about the holiday, including its history.
When is Father's Day 2023, exactly?
Before you start worrying about what to get your father for his day, you can relax a little, because there's still a little time to order a gift or even put your crafty side to work with a DIY gift idea for dad. This year, Father's Day is on Sunday, June 18, 2023.
Is Father's Day on the same date every year?
Don't feel bad if this date is news to you; the celebration changes days year-to-year. If you ever forget, just remember that Father's Day always falls on the third Sunday in June, and then check the calendar accordingly.
What is the history of Father's Day?
Unlike Mother's Day, which has pretty somber origins, Father's Day has relatively light roots—and was actually created by a woman. According to History.com, back in 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, "tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents." She went around to local businesses to gather support for her idea, and on June 19, 1910, the state of Washington celebrated the first-ever Father's Day.
Although the event inspired President Woodrow Wilson and President Calvin Coolidge to urge Americans to acknowledge a day for dads during their administrations, it still wasn't an official holiday. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm for the commemoration didn't last long. During the '20s and '30s, people tried to do away with both Mother's Day and Father's Day and replace them with Parents’ Day instead.
Then, during the Great Depression, retailers made a push to commercialize the holiday in an attempt to make money during dire financial times. And as World War II started, people began to use Father's Day as a way to pay respect to American troops.
Finally, several decades later, on May 1, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Proclamation 4127, which declared Father's Day as a national holiday, with the first official celebration on June 18, 1972. "Let each American make this Father's Day an occasion for renewal of the love and gratitude we bear to our fathers, increasing and enduring through all the years," he wrote in the document.
Why Is Father's Day in June?
The date originally fell on June 19, 1910, the birthday of Sonora Smart Dodd's father, American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart. It was later changed to the third Sunday in June.
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