Why the world is celebrating Father’s Day today – and Aussie dads wait

Don’t worry Australian kids — you still have a few months to find a gift for Father’s Day despite the rest of the world celebrating today.

Don’t worry Aussies, you haven’t missed Father’s Day.

While Father’s Day will still be on the first Sunday in September for Aussies and New Zealanders (September 7 this year), much of the rest of the world celebrate the day on the third Sunday in June.

That’s why your feed would have been packed with posts from celebrities and friends from overseas celebrating all things dad.

Why world celebrates Father’s Day today

Father’s Day started in the US in 1910 and is credited to Sonora Smart, the daughter of American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart.

When Sonora was 16, her mother died in childbirth with her sixth child, leaving her to help look after her younger siblings with her father.

After hearing about the rise of Mother’s Day, Sonora reportedly felt fathers deserved recognition as well and approached her church, suggesting her father’s birthday, June 5th, as the day, although they eventually settled on the third Sunday in June.

The first Father’s Day was celebrated in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. In 1916, then-President Woodrow Wilson sent a telegraph praising the Father’s Day services.

While the popularity of the day faded in the 1920s, it persevered and in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, before Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

The UK appears to have followed America’s lead.

Justin Bieber was among the celebrity dads celebrating their first Father's Day. Photo: Instagram

Justin Timberlake celebrated the day with his boys. Photo: Instagram

Why does Australia celebrate in September?

Father’s Day was first celebrated in Australia in 1936, with the ABC reporting the first mention was in the Newcastle Sun on September 4, 1936.

It was in an article promoting a Father’s Day meeting at the Baptist Tabernacle.

However, a Western Herald article in 1964 also suggested it was first celebrated in 1935 and it was officially designated as the first Sunday in September.

While Australian Mother’s Day celebration lines up with most of the world in May, Father’s Day is a full three months after countries we share the most similarities with — and there’s a pretty simple explanation.

All of the calendar days we celebrate throughout the year all come down to the marketing and retail sector.

There’s a theory described as “holiday fatigue” where experts claim consumers grow tired of constantly being bombarded with holidays and need a little time to recover — a theory that only helps Father’s Day’s September placement.

When considering the months of April to June, the Australian calendar is full of special events and holidays.

There’s the Easter long weekend, Anzac Day and the King’s Birthday. We also celebrate Mother’s Day and the lesser known Labour Day and May Day.

Just like Boxing Day on December 26, marketing and retail companies have perfectly orchestrated days to get us out and shopping for gifts.

While some dispute the claims, it’s easy to see how happily retailers embrace each holiday.

As soon as Christmas is over, stores line their shelves with Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs.

Woolworths and Coles come under fire every January when shoppers spot the grocery stores filling their bakery shelves with hot cross buns — a baked good traditionally made for Easter.

Father’s Day being held in September is not only conveniently far away from most Australian calendar dates, it also coincides with the start of Spring — the perfect season to market dad gifts like sporting, camping and fishing items.

I don’t think it’s a fishing rod … Photo: istock

While there’s no denying the date of Father’s Day seems all too convenient, one of Australia’s leading consumer psychologists and the founder of THINKERBELL Adam Ferrier believes it comes down to exactly that — convenience.

“I can’t imagine it being that strategic,” Ferrier told news.com.au. “I think it’s fortuitous for Father’s Day that it falls in the third quarter of the year because not a lot seems to be happening at that time so it’s a pretty free part of the calendar.”

But Ferrier also added that marketers had missed a trick with Mother’s and Father’s Day.

“So far, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day have both been handled pretty badly by marketers and retail alike,” Mr Ferrier said at the time.

“They don’t stand for much. They’re pretty weak, feeble brands. I think for Father’s Day it’s a great opportunity for advertisers and marketers but I think we’re in the process of embracing it. The marketing for Father’s Day in the near future is going to explode.”

Australia is not alone in selecting its own date. Italy, Spain and Portugal celebrate Father’s Day on March 19; Brazil on the second Sunday in August; Norway, Sweden and Finland on the second Sunday in November; and Thailand holds the day on December 5, the birthday of the former King Bhumibol Adulyadej.