Father’s Day is a holiday honoring fathers and father figures for their contribution to their children’s lives. But, ironically, its roots are based in Mother’s Day and followed in the footsteps of the peace-and-reconciliation campaigns of the post-Civil War era.
But it actually started even long before that. We all know the biblical Ten Commandments. The fifth states, “Honor thy father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). The meaning of this commandment varies among different religions, but all are centered around the family. And they all point back to one message: Celebrate the people who gave you life!
Father’s day started with Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, who felt fathers should be honored in the same manner as mothers. Sonora, born in Spokane, Washington, petitioned local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers, and government officials to support her idea. All went well and the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Washington State on June 19, 1910.
You may be wondering how this became a national celebration from there. The answer? Politics of course. It started in 1916, when President Wilson used the telegraph to relay a Father’s Day message to Spokane. In 1924, President Coolidge petitioned state governments to observe Father’s Day. But, it was President Nixon who, on June 7, 1971, signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. Bet you thought it happened long before that.
Giving gifts, mostly ties, has become the standard for a Father’s Day celebration. But there is a better way to celebrate. Throw the tie away, gather up the family and have a barbecue.
Forget the hamburgers for once and give Grilled Balsamic Steak and Tomatoes, compliments of our friends at Beef It’s What’s For Dinner, a try. Need a new twist on Potato Salad? Check out Grandpa Davila’s Potato Salad from Davila’s BBQ. Or how about a WTFCF family favorite David’s Homemade Chili? Just click the links below to find the recipes!
Happy Father’s Day from all of us at Where the Food Comes From!
