Unlike Mother’s Day, which began in 1906 as a reflective memorial and celebration of the life of one mother – Anna Reeves Jarvis, Father’s Day was born of great sorrow. Community members of Monongah, West Virginia, gathered to remember 362 miners that were killed in a coal  mine explosion in December of 1907. Of the 362 souls that were lost, 250 were fathers who left behind more than a thousand children between them. 

The memorial service, held in July of 1908, was thought to be a one time community event. Yet, in 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd was attending a Mother’s Day service when she had the notion that fathers should be honored as well.  When she had originally proposed the holiday to various townspeople, she had suggested that it should be celebrated on June 5th of each year – her own father’s birthday. The first celebration of Father’s Day occurred in Washington on June 19, 1910, but it took another 62 years to be declared a national holiday. 

Father’s Day is celebrated in over one hundred countries throughout the world. While the United States and the United Kingdom recognize the month of June as reasons to celebrate paternal figures, some European countries celebrate the day of recognition in March or December. Traditionally, these dates coincide with historical celebrations meant to recognize a male figure such as a saint or great leader. Other countries, such as South Korea, recognize both maternal and paternal figures on the same day, aptly named “parents day”. 

Although originally introduced as a day of celebration in the United States in the 1900’s and ratified as a national holiday in 1972, the day of reflection and gratitude for relevant father figures has taken a bit longer to be accepted in other countries. Late adoptions of the day honoring fathers include Argentia (1982), Mongolia (2005), Indonesia (2006), Latvia (2008), Romania (2009), and Kazakhstan (2012).

History aside, it is the significance of Father’s Day that we celebrate throughout the world. It is a day set aside to reflect on the male figures in our lives who have filled the role of dad regardless of their relationship to us. It is an opportunity to appreciate the brothers, uncles, grandfathers, stepfathers, and mentors who had the courage and strength to stand beside us as we learned to negotiate the world. 

This Father’s Day, why not celebrate the father or father figure in your life, at Hickory Point RV Park? Through the month of June 2023, we are running a summer special – buy two nights and get the third night free. Contact us at (727) 937-7357 to ask about the promotion and book a reservation for dad.