父親節的由來是什麼

　　名詞解釋：父親節***Father's Day***，顧名思義是感恩父親的節日。約始於二十世紀初，起源於美國，現已廣泛流傳於世界各地，節日日期因地域而存在差異。最廣泛的日期在每年6月的第三個星期日，世界上有52個國家和地區是在這一天過父親節。你知道父親節的由來嗎?

　　1909年，華盛頓一位叫布魯斯·多德的夫人，在慶賀母親節的時候突然產生了一個念頭：既然有母親節，為什麼不能有個父親節呢?

　　多德夫人和他的5個弟弟早年喪母，他們由慈愛的父親一手撫養大的。許多年過去了，姐弟6人每逢父親的生辰忌日，總會回想起父親含辛茹苦養家的情景。在拉斯馬斯博士的支援下，她提筆給州政府寫了一封言辭懇切的信，呼籲建立父親節，並建議將節日定在6月5日她父親生日這天。州政府採納了她的建議，倉促間將父親節定為19日，即1909年6月第3個星期日。翌年，多德夫人所在的斯坡堪市正式慶祝這一節日，市長宣佈了父親節的文告，定這天為全州紀念日。以後，其他州也慶賀父親節。在父親節這天，人們選擇特定的鮮花來表示對父親的敬意。人們採納了多德夫人伯建議，佩戴紅玫瑰向健在的父親們表示愛戴，佩戴白玫瑰對故去的父親表示悼念。後來在溫哥華，人們選擇了佩戴白丁香，賓夕法尼亞人用蒲公英向父親表示致意。

　　為了使父親節規範化，各方面強烈呼籲議會承認這個節日。1972年，尼克松總統正式簽署了建立父親節的議會決議。這個節日終於以法律的形式確定了下來，並一直沿用至今。

　　Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

　　Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.

　　After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

　　President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.