June 17 is Father’s Day!
Americans celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday of every June. This holiday celebrates fathers and fatherhood in general, including father figures such as guardians and grandfathers. The occasion is marked by giving a gift to one’s father or spending time with him. It is a time set aside to value a father’s role in one’s life and to reflect upon paternal bonding.
Fathers are usually given gifts in the realm of home improvement, electronics, and outdoor tools. There are no official ways to celebrate Father’s Day, but many children also celebrate with a phone call, meal out, or a family gathering honoring all fathers within an extended family. This day is a busy one for restaurants. In the U.S., some wear a red rose to honor their father, but a white rose if he has passed away.
Some churches hold Father’s Day services or integrate the theme of fatherhood into the Sunday service. One of the first religious Father’s Day services was held in 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Grace Golden Clayton, a member of the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, had recently lost her father in a mining accident, which killed 250 fathers total, resulting in about 1000 children without fathers. Clayton made a suggestion to hold a service in remembrance of these fathers. Some churches’ Father’s Day service revolves around the idea of God as a father.
Information from http://wilstar.com/holidays/fathers.htm
