Who’s Your Daddy?
A potted history of Father’s Day and some gift ideas.
It’s June and, for many people, that means Summer is here and (pandemic permitting) it’s time for trips to the beach, barbecues, picnics, wearing shorts and flip flops, getting sun burnt and holidays. For chocolatiers it means three months crossing your fingers that orders arrive with customers as they were dispatched, not as boxes of chocolate fondue. It also means that Father’s Day is coming!
This year we’ll be celebrating all things Dad on 20th June so you’ve got a few weeks to buy your cards and pressies. Our last date for Father’s Day orders is 15th June.
Back in February I took a look at the origins of Mother’s Day in my blog so l decided to do the same for Father’s Day. The more I researched, the more versions of the story I found. Here’s a brief history.
It seems that an annual day celebrating fatherhood in Catholic Europe can be traced back to 1508. It was originally marked with a feast on Saint Joseph’s Day on 19th March. Several countries still observe Father’s Day on this date but it does have different dates in different parts of the world. Like the UK, by far the most countries celebrate on the third Sunday in June and the ‘Father’s Day’ we recognise today originated in America.
Who Started It?
In 1908 a Father’s Day service was held on 5th July in Fairmont, West Virginia. It was suggested by Grace Golden Clayton as a way of honouring the 361 men who were killed in the Monongah Mining Disaster in the previous December. Clayton’s father was among the men killed, 250 of whom were fathers. The disaster left around one thousand children fatherless. Although this may have been the first Father’s Day event it was not promoted outside of Fairmont so never gained traction.
Sonora Louise Smart Dodd
In 1909 Sonora Louise Smart Dodd was listening to a Mother’s Day sermon at the Methodist church in her home town of Spokane, Washington. She felt that fathers should have a special day, too. Her inspiration was her own father, a Civil War veteran whom she had helped to raise her five brothers after the death of her mother in childbirth. Enlisting the help of several local church communities and the local YMCA, she petitioned the Spokane Ministerial Association to establish Father’s Day. Churches throughout Spokane celebrated the first Father’s Day on 19th June 1910. Baskets of roses were distributed to those attending the service - red for fathers still living, white for those deceased.
It took many years for the observance of a Father’s Day celebration to spread across America. Through Dodd’s campaigning, a bill was introduced to Congress in 1913 to grant Father’s Day national recognition but was defeated, as were later bills. In spite of support over the years from three Presidents, it wasn’t until 1972 that President Nixon signed a bill into law that recognised Father’s Day as a permanent, national holiday. Why the third Sunday in June? The story goes that Sonora Dodd originally wanted Father’s Day to be 5th June which was her father’s birthday. However, the pastors conducting the services needed more time to prepare their sermons so the celebration was deferred for a few weeks.
Are Fathers The Poor Relations?
Needless to say, Father’s Day has been commercialised in modern times. Gone are the simple red and white roses. Now we buy cards and gifts and take our Dads out for Sunday lunch. Spending in the UK in 2019 exceeded £650 million. It sounds like a lot but it’s less than half what we spent on our Mums. Trends changed in 2020 due to the effect of Covid-19, with spending on Father’s Day gifts dropping by around one third in 2020. Looks like Dads have been getting a raw deal!
Whoever ‘Dad’ is to you, we’re sure he deserves something nice on his special day. Will you be buying him boring socks, a tie or another mug with ‘World’s No 1 Dad’ emblazoned on it to be put away in a cupboard? My poor Dad suffered plenty of that! (Although I must add that my taste in ties is excellent.) I did also buy him his favourite sweet treats and I’ve included my versions of some them in the brief gift guide bellow. Maybe your Dad will love them, too!
Gift Guide
Diablo Dark Chocolate Chilli & Tequila Truffles
Is your Dad a chilli lover? These delicious little morsels are the best selling product in our Etsy store and are frequently bought as gifts for the gentlemen in our customers lives.
Fondant Creams
My Dad loved fondants, especially peppermint or orange flavoured. Whenever my Mum was given a box of Black Magic chocolates (her favourites) my Dad would always steal the orange creams!
Turkish Delight
Another of my Dad’s favourites. I wonder how he would have rated mine. There are two types in our shop - for real decadence we recommend the chocolate dipped version!
Whatever you buy your favourite father figure this year, we’re sure he’ll love it because it came from you.
By the way, any chiropractor will tell you that flip flops are bad for your feet!