The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.
The origin of Fathers Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Fathers Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
The president of the Chicago branch of the Lions Club, Harry1 Meek2, is said to have celebrated3 the first Fathers Day with his organization in 1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest date to Meeks own birthday!
Regardless of when the first true Fathers Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an outstanding father. He was a veteran of the Civil War. His wife had died young, and he had raised six children without their mother.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated4 to fathers on June 5, her fathers birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke5 a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Fathers Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.
States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Fathers Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations. Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June.
When children cant visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental6. Most greeting cards are whimsical so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.
Fathers Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Fathers Day.
辅助阅读：
美国是少数几个将父亲节节日作为法定节日的国家之一。在6月的第三个星期天，全美国的爸爸都将收到礼物、被邀请就餐或以其他一些方法有一种特别的感受。
父亲节节日的由来并不非常了解，有人说它起始于1908年西弗吉尼亚的一种教堂仪式，也有人说第一个父亲节节日仪式是在华盛顿的范库弗峰举行的，还有人说是Lions会所芝加哥分部的会长Harry Meek于1915年在其会所庆祝了第一个父亲节节日。
不管父亲节节日到底是什么时间出现的，这个节日最强大的推进者都是多德太太。在她的推进下，华盛顿州将6月的第三个星期天定为父亲节节日。其后，其他的州及组织开始游说国会将父亲节节日作为每年的例行节日。1916年， Woodrow Wilson总统批准了这一建议，但直到1924年，父亲节节日才在国内风行起来。
在父亲节节日这一天，孩子们会为爸爸做特别的甜点，假如和爸爸不住在一块则会邀请爸爸到家里来。假如没办法邀请爸爸到家或到外面就餐，他们会寄上一张贺卡。一般，爸爸会更喜欢不太感伤的贺卡。大多数贺卡都非常古怪，如此当爸爸打开的时便会大笑。一些贺卡也会送上一些衷心的感激之辞，感谢爸爸在需要之时一如既往的守护。
目前，父亲节节日已经成为向爸爸及所有饰演爸爸角色的人表达敬意的节日。继父、伯父、祖父，所有成年男士都将在父亲节节日遭到尊敬。
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