WHAT IS FATHER’S DAY? Father’s Day is the day set aside each year to honour the paternal bond, and everything that dads to do provide for their families and raise their children.
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WHEN IS FATHER’S DAY? Father’s Day is celebrated on different dates depending on the country you are from or living in. Its oldest roots date back to the 16th century in Catholic Europe, when it was celebrated on 19 March as St Joseph’s Day. However, the 20th century saw a big change in the date that most people celebrate Father’s Day.
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INTERNATIONAL FATHER’S DAY: In modern times, Father’s Day is celebrated by the majority of countries in the world on the third Sunday in June. This year that falls on Sunday the 20 June, and this is the date that Father’s Day will be marked by families in the UK, USA, Philippines, India and much of Europe and the rest of the world.
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THE HISTORY OF FATHER’S DAY: While countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal and many countries in South America still celebrate Father’s Day on 19 March, the shift to the third Sunday in June is connected to a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, whose father was a war veteran and raised her and her five siblings as a single parent. Mother’s Day had recently been introduced officially in the US, and Sonora felt strongly that fathers should also be recognised, and started campaigning for it. Her lobbying paid off and in 1972, President Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the 3rd Sunday of June each year.
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UAE FATHER’S DAY: However parts of the Arab world celebrates Father’s Day on a different day: the 21 June every year. This coincides with the summer solstice (so dads get the longest day of daylight in the year reserved for them!), and its roots can be traced back to the origin of Mother’s Day in Egypt, which is said to have been introduced by journalist Mustafa Amin in 1956.
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WHICH COUNTRIES CELEBRATE ARABIC FATHER’S DAY?: Alongside the UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Syria also celebrate Father’s Day on 21 June every year, instead of the third Sunday in June.
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WHAT HAPPENS ON FATHER’S DAY? While Father’s Day does not tend to be quite as big of a celebration as Mother’s Day, it has grown in significance in recent years, and is often a day on which children will make cards or give gifts to their father’s as a way of recognizing all that they do. In the UAE there are also a heap of special offers and activities especially for Father’s Day – check out our list of the best offers and deals for Father’s Day here: https://gulfnews.com/parenting/mums-dads/fathers-day-uae-fantastic-deals-for-dads-in-dubai-and-the-uae-1.1623914203092
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