Father's Day is a day to pay tribute to our dads, father figures and male relatives - to celebrate dad and show them how much they are loved.
There's a lot to think about when it comes to preparing for your Father's Day celebration, whether it's buying a Father's Day gift, thinking of a heartwarming quote or a corny dad joke to write in your Father's Day card, or planning a Father's Day activity.
But, one question that is probably playing on your mind is 'when exactly is Father's Day?' and why does the date change? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
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How did Father's Day start?
European Catholics have been celebrating Father's Day since the middle ages when it took place on Saint Joseph’s Day (19 March). There is evidence of celebrating fathers as far back as 1508, and it may have happened even earlier.
Image by Lawrence OP under Creative Commons 2.0 license
However, the Father's Day we know today started as a result of the growing popularity of Mother's Day in the US.
In 1907, an American woman called Anne Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother, which sparked a rise in attention and popularity. Within just a few years, much of the country was observing Mother's Day in some way. And in 1914, US President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.
In 1909, another American woman named Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to create an equivalent celebration for her dad after listening to a Mother's Day sermon. And so her home state of Washington held the first Father's Day celebration in 1910 on Smart Dodd's father's birthday (19 June).
Why isn't Father's Day on the same date each year?
Unlike a national holiday like Christmas or special day like Valentine's Day, many countries around the world celebrate Father's Day on different dates each year because there are different origins.
In 1966, US President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring that the third Sunday of June would be the official date of Father's Day in the US. It meant that the date of Father's Day changes slightly each year, and is largely why people aren't sure when Father's Day is celebrated each year. Many countries have since adopted the same date.
When is Father's Day in 2025?
In 2025, Father's Day falls on Sunday 15th June in most countries. In 2026, Father's Day will be Sunday 21st June.
Is Father's Day an official holiday?
Father's Day is an official holiday in some countries. It wasn't made a national holiday in the US until 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed Proclamation 4127, followed by the UK the same year.
The first Father's Day celebration in the US officially took place on 18 June 1972.
How did Father's Day become so popular?
President Wilson and later President Calvin Coolidge both encouraged the American people to celebrate Father's Day in the years after Washington's first celebration. But Congress resisted making it an official holiday, unlike Mother's Day.
Support for Father's Day wained during the 1920s as some people tried to replace both Mother's Day and Father's Day with a combined Parents' Day, which celebrated two parents at the same time. However, following the Great Depression, retailers and businesses encouraged gifting as part of Mother's Day and Father's Day in a bid to generate an economic boost.
In the UK, celebrations also began in the early 20th century. Brits originally celebrated Father's Day on 5 June, the feast day of Saint Boniface, the patron saint of fathers. However, as popularity surged in the US, the third Sunday of June was also adopted in the UK.
How do people celebrate Father's Day?
People celebrate Father's Day in a number of different ways. In the early days of Father's Day in the US, it was often marked by church services like the Mother's Day sermon that inspired Sonora Smart Dodd. However, in the UK, people would often host a feast because it fell on the feast day of Saint Boniface, the patron saint of fathers.
Over the decades, Father's Day became a much more commercial holiday. Generally, wherever in the world you are, Father's Day includes the giving of greeting cards and presents, going for a family meal and/or spending time with your dad.
Because it often falls in the summer months, many people celebrate dad with a BBQ or an outdoor activity.
Of course, when you're a father, Father's Day isn't just about you, it's a day to celebrate your own father, too. So, many families choose to do something with more than two generations of the family. And in the run-up to Father's Day, many schools will help children to make their own cards for their dad or father figure.
What Father's Day means to dads
There's nothing like your first Father's Day after you become a dad for the first time. After many years of buying cards and gifts, and planning activities for your own father, it's suddenly a day for you, too (even if your little one is too small to make a fuss of you!).
There's no doubt that it's a special day for a dad. But what exactly does it mean to dads? We asked some of the DaddiLife team to find out.
Our founder, Han-Son, said...
“I grew up with a single mum, so Father's Day really didn't become anything significant at all until I became a dad myself!
"And over the years since becoming a dad to Max, Father's Day has meant different things. When my son was a baby, it was a nice memory of becoming a dad, and usually followed with a nice meal out.
"But it has increasingly become a moment to ask 'why do we have a day to celebrate dads, when what they want is a whole landscape of change to become the dads they really want to be? That starts with what it means to be a dad at work, which still needs a total cultural reset, as well as society at large."
And Jon in the community, added:
“Growing up, Father's Day was never a huge deal in our family because my dad's birthday was around a week later. And as my parents separated when I was quite young, I'd usually visit my dad on a Sunday - so it was often like a normal Sunday. We'd get him a card and do something together like watch football or play a round of golf.
"I'd be lying if I said Father's Day hadn't become a lot more special since I became a dad myself.
"I'm someone who is quite self critical and I often question whether or not I'm a good enough dad. So it's always a wonderful feeling to have my two kids make a total, joyous fuss over me. It helps to reaffirm that I am doing a good job, and I am having a positive impact on their lives.
"Now that my son is six, he's more capable of expressing himself which is just so heartwarming, while my three-year old girl has recently started coming up to me and whispering "You're a great dad" or "You're a great boy" which is just so sweet."
Father's Day 2025 dates for different countries
Father's Day is celebrated by 111 countries around the world. Let's take a look at when their Father's Day celebration takes place.
Italy, Portugal and Spain
Father's Day is celebrated on 19 March in Italy, Portugal and Spain in honour of Joseph of Nazareth, the earthly father of Jesus Christ. People typically go to church services, and give cards and presents.
Germany
Germany celebrates Father's Day on Ascension Day, which is the 40th day after Easter Sunday and marks the day Jesus ascended to heaven. Germans typically celebrate over a four-day weekend with alcohol and outdoor activities such as hiking.
Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia
These countries originally followed the American tradition of celebrating Father's Day on the third Sunday of June. However, they later switched to the second Sunday of November. This is because November was typically a slower economic month and it falls roughly half a year after Mother's Day.
Australia and New Zealand
Father's Day falls on the first Sunday of September in Australia and New Zealand. September is the first month of Spring, so it allows people to spend time outside and celebrate Father's Day. Australia and New Zealand's first Father's Day was in 1964. In 2025, Father's Day will fall on 7 September.
Both countries also have a lot of national holidays in the first half of the year, so it was believed that it would not hold such a significance in the calendar if took place earlier in the year.
Brazil
Father's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in August in Brazil. It is held in honour of Saint Joachim, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, who is recognised as the guardian of fathers and grandfathers. While Brazilian people tend to give their dad a card and present, some also write lengthy letters of gratitude.
Mexico
Like the US and UK, Mexico's Father's Day takes place on the third Sunday of June and usually involves spending time together, family meals, and giving cards and presents. Mexico City also hosts the 'Carrera Día del Padre' (Father's Day race), a 21 kilometre running event particularly popular with fathers and sons.
Russia
For many years, Russia's Father's Day was celebrated annually on 23 February, and was particularly unique given its origins. It started as a way for the Russian people to pay tribute to the men in the military and was known as 'Defender of the Fatherland Day'. It held a military parade to honour the Armed Forces and it was common for women to give presents to male relatives and co-workers regardless of whether or not they do or have served in the military.
However, in 2021, President Vladimir Putin introduced a separate Father's Day celebration that would take place every year on the third Sunday in October.
India
Father's Day is less common in India. It's certainly not recognised as an official public holiday, but many people do still celebrate Father's Day. If they do celebrate, it will take place on the same third Sunday of June as countries like the UK and US, and will usually involve family meals and card/present giving.
Thailand
Thailand's Father's Day takes place every year on 5 December, the birthday of the much-loved former King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Fathers and grandfathers are usually given canna flowers, which symbolise masculinity, and the reigning monarch gives a national address to mark the day.
China and Japan
Like India, Father's Day is not a recognised as a public holiday in China or Japan. But many people still celebrate Father's Day. In China, it is common to cook a large meal for the dad and play family games. While in Japan, it is more common to give gifts such as sweets, gourmet food, sports equipment or fashion items.
How to wish ‘Happy Father's Day' in 15 different languages
Maybe you're learning a new language and want to show off what you've learned, maybe your dad has ancestry in a certain country that you'd like to pay tribute to, or perhaps you've living overseas and want to show to local language. Whatever your reason, here is how to say 'Happy Father's Day' in some different languages.
Arabic
"عيد أبٍ سعيداً"
Chinese
"祝你父亲节快乐"
Dutch
"Vrolijike vaderdag"
Finnish
"Hyvää isänpäivää"
French
"Bonne fête des pères"
German
"Alles Gute zum Vatertag"
Greek
"Χαρούμενη ημέρα του πατέρα"
Irish
"Lá na nAthaireacha faoi shona daoibh"
Italian
"Buona festa del papà"
Polish
"Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji Dnia Ojca"
Portuguese
"Feliz dia dos pais"
Russian
"С днём отца!"
Spanish
"Feliz día del padre"
Swedish
"Trevlig farsdag"
Welsh
"Sul y tadau hapus"
FAQs
When is Father's Day?
In the UK and US - and many countries in the western world - Father's Day always falls on the third Sunday of June. That means Father's Day falls on 15 June in 2025.
Do father figures get a Father's Day celebration?
Originally, Father's Day celebrated biological dads, but over the years more and more people celebrate other male relatives like step-dads, adoptive fathers, grandfathers and other father figures. Being a dad is about much more than biology.
In many cases, a single mother might like to honour a man who has played a significant role in their child's upbringing, in the absence of the child's father. It may be her brother, her own father, a grandparent or a close friend. And schools may ask children who don't have a dad or (or a relationship with their dad) who they liked to make a card for.
Why do countries celebrate Father's Day on different dates?
There are many countries around the world that also celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday in June. However, others celebrate it on different dates. This is usually because of different origins of Father's Day in their country - they may have had a different date for their first Father's Day and want to keep that date, or they may have another date of significance that is relevant to their country and culture.
Where is Father's Day celebrated on the third Sunday of June?
Of the 111 countries to celebrate Father's Day, the vast majority follows the American tradition of celebrating it on the third Sunday of June. The full list includes:
Afghanistan, Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guernsey, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Macao, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
