April 25 — Daughter's Day: history and traditions, how to congratulate

Every year on April 25, Russia celebrates Daughter's Day — a family holiday and an occasion to tell loved ones that they are loved and important. In 2026, the celebration falls on a Saturday. The history of its origin, traditions and original ideas for congratulations are in the material of Izvestia.

Daughter's Day – 2026: the history of the holiday

Daughter's Day is celebrated in many countries and has various historical and semantic "stuffing" — family, educational, human rights. Therefore, it does not have a single "date of birth" and one universally recognized founder. The earliest mentions date back to 1932 — it was in this year that National Daughters' Day appeared in the United States, which did not have an official status, but was implemented as a public initiative.

The modern history of the holiday in its recognizable form began to take shape at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, when society sharply increased attention to the position of girls in school, family and future professional activities. This was facilitated by the research of psychologist Carol Gilligan on adolescence, as well as reports from the American Association of University-Educated Women.

The idea was simple — to show the girls that the world of professions should not be divided into "male" and "female." Already in 1993, the program gained national scope, receiving the name "Let's take our daughters to work," and then went beyond the United States. By 1996, more than 5 million girls in 14 countries participated in the campaign. This project has shifted the focus from family to community, with an emphasis on education, career, and equal opportunities.

Europe took up the baton next. In 2001, the "Day of the Future for Girls" was launched in Germany, which quickly became the largest career guidance project for schoolgirls. Companies, universities, and research centers opened their doors to girls to introduce them to engineering, IT, science, and technical specialties. Later, it was the German model who became one of the most influential European versions of the "day of daughters and girls."

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In 2006, a similar format appeared in Austria. By the decision of the Council of Ministers, Girls' Day was granted the status of an official holiday, and its emphasis was also placed on career guidance and overcoming gender stereotypes when choosing a profession.

In 2008, the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs of India also established National Girls' Day to draw attention to discrimination against daughters, unequal access to education, and child marriage.

In 2011, the UN General Assembly established the International Day of the Girl Child. After that, many countries began to build their own national dates in line with the global discussion on rights, safety, education and equal opportunities for children of both sexes.

The holiday came to Russia relatively recently, the first notable mentions of Daughter's Day date back to 2017. It is not fixed by a separate law or decree, but the citizens of our country have already come to like it.

Traditions of celebrating Daughter's Day

In many countries, Daughter's Day is becoming an occasion to recall the problems that continue to affect girls and young women: gender inequality, early marriage, domestic violence, and limited access to education. On this day, there are flash mobs, educational events and public discussions on these topics.

In Russia, the celebration is mostly celebrated with the family. Parents try to please their daughters with gifts, sweets, flowers, or just a family outing to the cinema, park, or for a walk.

Also on April 25, moms and dads tell their daughters about their own growing up, show them photos taken at the same age, recall their childhood and teenage years, talk about dreams, fears and difficulties they had to cope with. Such a conversation is often more important than any gift, it helps to reduce the distance between generations and strengthen trust within the family.

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Happy Daughter's Day on April 25 — best wishes

Happy Daughter's Day is celebrated by both little girls and already adult women. The best gift on this day is attention — time spent together, a warm conversation, a family dinner, a trip to the cinema or park together, a memorable photo album, a video message or a postcard in a messenger if the daughter lives in another city. Younger girls may like a new doll, a set for creativity or children's cosmetics, older daughters may like framed photos with vivid memories of joint trips and family holidays.

Izvestia has prepared several examples of vivid congratulations on Daughter's Day, which can be voiced personally, written in a postcard or sent by message.:

• "Congratulations on your Daughter's Day! May there be as many roads in your life as possible, along which you will walk with love and interest, without fear. We wish to choose without regard to other people's expectations. Let your dreams be bold, your plans ambitious, and your inner voice always sounds louder than your doubts.";
  
• "My dear daughter, remain a person in whom this rare skill never goes out — to see beauty where others pass by. May you have enough courage for big decisions and enough tenderness to take care of your heart, and there will be many reasons to be proud of yourself ahead.";
  
• "Congratulations on your Daughter's Day, dear! I wish that there is always a place in your life for your favorite business, honest people, good news and confidence that you can do it. You are not someone's shadow, but the whole world. May it only get wider every year, thanks to new knowledge, travel, meetings and reasons for pride.";
  
• "Happy holidays, dear daughter! May you have an inner compass that helps you stay on course even under the pressure of other people's advice and expectations. I wish you not only success, but also joy on the way to it. Let there be people around you who see your personality, character, and talent.";
  
• "Congratulations on your Daughter's Day! May your home always remain a place of strength for you, and may your family be the shore to which you can return any day for support, laughter, honest conversation and warmth. We wish you to have love in your life without anxiety, friendship without falsehood, work without burnout, and happiness without the eternal fear of losing it."

Earlier, State Duma deputy from the Liberal Democratic Party, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Budget and Taxes Kaplan Panesh told Izvestia which categories of citizens will receive child benefits ahead of schedule in May.