Father’s Day: A confused holiday

image grabbed from www.wikipedia.org

I WOKE UP late this morning from loud incessant banging on our bedroom door. †I was a bit annoyed because it was just 9:00 o’clock AM on a Sunday, and my ex-girlfriend and I usually sleep ’til about 11am or 12nn on weekends to compensate for our typical weeklong sleep deprivation.

It was Marielle, my sweetheart. †Before I could mutter my protestations she gave me a big hug, several pecks on my cheeks, and a booming “Happy Father’s Day!” greeting. †I hardly managed to inhale †after Marielle released her tight bear hug when I heard another booming “Happy Father’s Day!” — this time from Marielle’s cool brother Johan — followed by a thud as his body slammed on my chest.

Before I could gather my senses I felt an involuntary rush of joy and pride. †My kids waking me up to greet me on Father’s Day… †And then it hits me.

“Hey, it’s not yet Father’s Day.” I told my kids.

“Of course it is, Daddy.” †Marielle emphatically declared.

“No, Father’s Day is on the third Sunday of June.” I insisted. “Today is just the second Sunday.”

“You are wrong, Daddy.” Marielle firmly concluded. “It is today. †It is all over the TV programs this morning.”

As usual, I couldn’t seem to win an argument with my kids. †Either they’re really getting tremendously good training from their mom or it’s in their DNA.

Before returning to bed for a few more minutes of Zs I checked on my iPhone. †There are a number of incoming text messages, three of them greeting me “Happy Father’s Day.” †Is it possible that my kids are right and I am wrong about this?

After another hour I finally got up and went downstairs to check on breakfast. †Halfway through the stairs my two nieces who came for a visit the previous day cheerfully greeted me with their well-rehearsed “Happy Father’s Day, Tito!”

What immediately followed was a replay of the discussion I had with my kids upstairs about an hour ago. †”Why is everybody greeting me ‘Happy Father’s Day’ a week in advance?” I asked rhetorically.

“Duh! What’s wrong with you Tito? †It IS Father’s Day today!” Everyone seems to be ganging up on me.

Fortunately my ex-girlfriend came to my rescue. †She believes Father’s Day is not due for another week, too. †She also proposed that we settle the issue once and for all.

So I made a few taps on my iPhone to launch Safari and then typed “when is Father’s Day celebrated in the Philippines?” on the Google search bar.

I got several hits, including one from Wikipedia.

Wikipedia resolved the issue. †My ex-girlfriend and I are correct. †In most countries, including the Philippines, Father’s Day is celeberated on the third Sunday of June, and this year that day falls on June 21.

But why the confusion? †Why were my kids and my †nieces led to believe — wrongly, of course — that Father’s Day is today, June 14, the Second Sunday of June.

Blame it on mass media, particularly television. †As was the case with my kids and my nieces, they got the wrong information from watching television. †How can it be not correct when it is widely proclaimed on television? †You tell me!

Blame it on shameless commercialization, too. †In the Sunday papers I browsed through this morning I saw several ads and feature stories on Father’s Day. †Although most of them correctly indicated that Father’s Day is on June 21, some are silent or vague on the date. †It’s quite understandable actually. †Their objective is to spruce up sales by hyping about Father’s Day a good one week in advance. †And why not? †A week is just about right to plan for gifts to buy, and treats to arrange, to surprise the hardworking and mostly under-appreciated men of the house.

Perhaps we can also blame it on Mother’s Day. †Mother’s Day is celebrated every second week of May and there is no confusion whatsoever about it. †Father’s Day, being just an afterthought, can easily be mistaken to be celebrated also on the second week of the following month.

Finally, blame it on Father’s Day itself, for being such a confused holiday. †According to Wikipedia, Father’s Day is celebrated on many different dates in different countries. †It is celebrated as early as January 6 (Serbia), and as late as December 26 (Bulgaria).

Different countries seem to have different reasons and manners of †celebrating it, too. †Some catholic countries celebrate Father’s Day to commemorate and honor St. Joseph. †In Russia, Father’s Day, started out as a patriotic commemoration of the defenders — that is, soldiers — of the fatherland. †In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on the birthday of their present king, so its date is bound to change when a new king ascends the throne. †In Taiwan, Father’s Day is celebrated on August 8 and for what particular reason? †Because August 8 is 8-8 (i.e., 8th month of the year, 8th day of the month), and 8 in Mandarin Chinese is pronounced as†b?, so 8-8 is†b?-b?. †The connection eluded me at first until I realized that†b?b?†in Mandarin Chinese translates to “papa”†(i.e. father). †Fascinating, isn’t it.

Marielle†wouldn’t still believe me and her mom, even after I showed her the Wikipedia entry on Father’s Day. †”No way!” she firmly stands her ground. †If TV says it’s Father’s Day today then there’s no contesting it.

It just occurred to me, why the hell am I even arguing the point. †Am I complaining? †Should I be? †If people want to celebrate Father’s Day from the second Sunday to the third Sunday of June then I should let them be.

Fathers like me should welcome this confusion. †Why should we complain if our loved ones want to greet us two Sundays in a row? †It’s an advantage over our fairer counterparts that we shouldn’t refuse, should we?

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