When is Father's Day?
The most popular date for Father's Day is the third Sunday in June. This date was first observed in the USA and has since been adopted by many countries.
In Spain, Italy and Portugal, Father's Day is celebrated on 19 March, which is the Feast of St. Joseph who is the patron saint of fathers.
In Germany, Father's Day is celebrated on the same date as Ascension Day.
Across Scandinavia, the tradition of a Father's Day was adopted in the 1930's. Originally the American date was used, but in 1949 the Nordic countries decided to move it to the second Sunday in November. This was partly to place it half a year away from Mother's Day but also it was chosen to increase sales in an otherwise quiet trading period before Christmas. The only country who didn't fall in line was Denmark. They forgot to inform the public and press about the date change, so Father's Day remained on the same day as their other early June holiday, Constitution Day.
In Taiwan, Father's Day is celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is 'ba', while a colloquial word for father is 'ba-ba' - so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to 'daddy'. This was also the date for Father's day in China, but the date was moved to the third Sunday in June.
