Spotlight Magazines Spotlight on Mansfield South, Nottingham June 2015 | Page 14

Spotlight Magazine F Fathers Day ather’s Day is celebrated worldwide in recognition of the contribution fathers make to the lives of their children. In the UK it takes place on the third Sunday in June. There are various stories about the origins of the day. Some believe it is associated with pagan sun worship as the sun is known as the father of the universe and the June solstice occurs around the same time as Father’s Day each year. Others claim that the tradition originated in the ruins of Babylon. It is said that a young boy called Elmesu carved a father’s day message on a card made out of clay around 4,000 years ago. The UK is believed to have followed on after the USA started celebrating the 14 annual occasion. Again there are different versions, but most link the commencement of the modern Father’s Day with the campaign led by Sonara Smart Dodd. When she was 27, Sonara decided after listening to a Mother’s Day Sermon that there should be something similar for fathers. The local Spokane Ministerial Association and the Young Men’s Christian Association supported her and a local celebration took place in 1910. The popularity of the day spread across the USA and it became officially recognised by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. By Susan Brookes-Morris www.spotlightlocal.co.uk • 01623 706570 • [email protected]