You may be surprised to find out that Father’s Day did not become a US national holiday until 1972. In most European and Latin American countries, fathers are celebrated on St. Joseph’s day – March 19th – which is also celebrated as the day the swallows return to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, in California. (fun fact). It seems like holidays emerge as a way to bring us together to remember or celebrate important events.
Most fathers try to wave away any attention to themselves on Father’s Day. They shift it to family time – a baseball game, a barbeque, a reason to get together. It is weighted for many because they don’t have a good relationship, or they have lost a loved one such that it is bittersweet holiday or one they try to get past quickly.
I’m wondering if there is more to what and when we celebrate events. When we declare a national holiday, we are adding it to a cultural tradition of what Americans value. Some go away in prominence as Columbus Day did. Or get merged into a new holiday like when Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday got merged into Presidents’ Day.
We have also created one holiday to avoid another. Labor Day was created by Grover Cleveland in 1894 to be the first Monday in September so that the US would not celebrate on May Day – May 1st which was a more radical choice.
And new holidays emerge like Juneteenth. I suspect that won’t get merged with Fathers Day. When I checked the list of US National Holidays, I was reminded of all the times I’ve said to myself “Right, the mail isn’t coming today, it is a paid federal holiday.” So, while we don’t all celebrate our declared national holidays, we sure like having the time off when we can get it.
Today, let’s toast good fathering everywhere to create a more positive national culture. Let’s do that together.
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