Father's Day on June 15 — history and traditions of the holiday

Every year on the third Sunday of June, many countries around the world celebrate Father's Day. And although in Russia Father's Day is officially celebrated in October, this is another reason to pay attention to the closest people. In 2025, the celebration falls on June 15th. Read about the history and traditions of this holiday in the Izvestia article.

Father's Day on June 15 — the history of the holiday

The tradition of celebrating Father's Day originated in the early 20th century in Spokane (Washington, USA). The celebration was initiated by a simple American, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd. In this way, she wanted to express her gratitude to her father for his care, and with him to all the fathers of America.

Mrs. Dodd's mother died after giving birth to her sixth child, so the responsibility of raising the children fell entirely on the shoulders of their father, William Jackson Smart, a veteran of the American Civil War. And he fulfilled his duty as a father with honor.

The woman created a petition, noting the importance of the father's role in the family, and the local authorities supported her initiative. The first celebration was supposed to take place on June 5, William's birthday, but in the end they did not have time to prepare for this date and postponed the holiday for two weeks. Thus, the first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910.

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Father's Day became an official national holiday in the United States in 1966. The corresponding decree was signed by the 36th President Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969), who also approved the date of the celebration — the third Sunday in June.

Together with the United States, Father's Day on June 15 will be celebrated in more than 30 countries around the world. Among them are Canada, Great Britain, France, Japan, as well as Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine. At the same time, a number of other countries have their own dates for the day of veneration of the fathers.

For example, in Italy, Spain and Portugal, Father's Day is celebrated on March 19th. In Germany, the date of the holiday is tied to the celebration of the Catholic Ascension of the Lord — in 2025, it was celebrated on May 29. In Russia, the holiday was officially approved by decree of President Vladimir Putin in 2021 and is scheduled for the third Sunday in October. Thus, in our country, Father's Day this year will be celebrated on October 19th.

Father's Day on June 15 — traditions of celebration

In the USA, where this holiday originated, it is customary to pay homage to male fathers on Father's Day. During the celebrations, the state and ordinary citizens strive to provide support and assistance to low-income fathers who raise their children alone.

Also on this day, they give gifts, postcards to their fathers and arrange family celebrations. The symbol of the holiday is a rose. If the father of the family is alive, then the roses should be red, if dead, white.

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Many countries have their own traditions of celebrating Father's Day. For example, in Finland, on this day it is customary to go to the cemetery to honor the memory of deceased men, and in the evening the whole family gathers at the festive table, sings songs, and dances. In Italy, Father's Day is the main holiday of men, on this day it is customary to give them perfume or expensive wine.

In Russia, Fathers' Day was approved in many regions even before it became official at the federal level. The first regions to establish this holiday were Cherepovets, Novosibirsk and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). And in June 2014, the Papa Fest family festival was held in Moscow for the first time, the idea of which was then picked up in other cities of the country.

Earlier, Izvestia told how Mother's Day is celebrated in Russia.