When is Father's Day in 2021?
As the temperatures rise and the days get longer, we think, at least in Europe, it's almost Father's Day, right? But when is Father's Day in 2021?
Is it the same day in all countries?
Public holidays in the calendar usually have a fixed date. Some holidays are fixed with reference to other holidays, or follow the lunar calendar.... and this is where it gets complicated.
Add to this the fact that some holidays do not always coincide with the same date and that different countries or even different regions of the same country celebrate a holiday on different dates... remembering a date can become a real test of cunning, and forgetting can put you in an awkward situation.
In the case of Father's Day, the day on which this tradition is celebrated varies according to the country you are in (and sometimes even the region within a country).
Other countries, other customs!
The "season" begins in Europe in countries such as Spain and Italy, where it is celebrated on 19 March (in honour of St Joseph, the father of Jesus by Christian tradition), a day on which this blog is also published in honour of fathers. But in many other countries, this feast is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, influenced by the United States.
In the United States, the tradition dates back to 1910, when Sonora Smart Dodd, daughter of Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, wanted to honour her father for raising Sonora and her five siblings on his own. Over the years, more and more people celebrated this tribute to fathers, and in 1966, the holiday was institutionalised by President Lyndon B. Johnson, although it was Richard Nixon who finally made it an official holiday in 1974. From the United States, this day of tribute to fathers has since spread to much of the world.
And what date is Father's Day celebrated?
Each year there are up to 25 different dates on which Father's Day is celebrated somewhere in the world. As mentioned above, 19 March is celebrated in countries such as Spain, Italy, Andorra, Croatia, Portugal and Canton Ticino in Switzerland.
Other dates on which this feast is celebrated in Europe are, for example, 13 May in Germany, where it coincides with the feast of Christ's Ascension Day and is therefore a public holiday. Particularly in eastern Germany, it is traditional for men to go for a walk, usually accompanied by copious amounts of beer and schnapps. A wheeled cart is used to transport the drinks along the way. Tradition dictates that men who are already fathers do not buy drinks on this day and do not have to pull the cart. In this way, the young men symbolically take a burden off their fathers' shoulders. In western Germany, the day has less tradition, and those who celebrate it here tend to do so as a family holiday.
On 5 June it is celebrated in Denmark and on 6 June in Lithuania and Switzerland (except in the canton of Ticino); on 13 June in Austria and Belgium (except in Antwerp, where it is celebrated on 19 March).
On 20 June in many countries in America, as well as in China, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Turkey, among others.
A few days later, on 23 June, it is celebrated in Poland, and in late summer or early autumn in Latvia and Ukraine. Father's Day is celebrated in Luxembourg on 3 October (in conjunction with German Unity Day) and on 7 November in Nordic countries such as Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
The red light of the year is Bulgaria, where Father's Day is celebrated after Christmas, on 26 December.
If you have been following these lines closely, you have no excuse to forget about Father's Day this year, wherever you are, and if you still need some inspiration when it comes to making a good gift .... here are a few ideas with our electric cigarette injectors to surprise your father, or to put on your own Father's Day wish list if it's your turn to receive the gift this time ;-)