Published Wednesday, June 15, 2022

We hope that you all had a wonderful Father’s Day 2022. In the United States, Father's Day was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd and celebrated on the third Sunday of June for the first time in 1910. The day is held on various dates across the world, and different regions maintain their own traditions of honoring fatherhood.

Father’s Day is a great reminder to show gratitude to the amazing man who guides you through life. Father’s come in all shapes and sizes and it doesn’t matter if he raised you from day one, barely saw you because he worked long hours to support your family or you found him later on in life — celebrate the father figure who guides and supports you through it all on this special day.

If you’ve ever received a Father’s Day card with words, printed or hand-written, like the following, congratulations, this shows you have a nice relationship with your child, vice versa.

“Happy Father’s Day! Okay, good talk. Catch you later.”
“I smile because you are my dad. I laugh because I can’t do anything about it.”
“You’re welcome for making you a dad so you can celebrate today. Happy Father’s Day.”
“Please accept this lame Father’s Day card as a token of my poverty.”
“I hope this Father’s Day is as fun as you were before you had children.”
“Thanks for not giving me up for adoption. Happy Father’s Day!”
“I may be grown up but know this: I will always be your financial burden.”

説起父親節,華人文化裏傳統的父親形象可能集中在勞苦功高、辛勞付出、家庭供應者等面貌。美國文化中的父親節對象或許更廣一些,及於繼父、導師、牧師等所謂father figure,父親和具有父親形象的人物不單單養育照顧,也是引導人生道路的良師益友。人們可以運用幽默來表達對父親形象者的敬意、親近或感謝。

如果你收到兒子女兒送給你的父親節卡片上面寫著(或印著)類似以下的語句,恭喜你,你的親子關係顯然很不錯,在幽默中見溫情。

“Happy Father’s Day! Okay, good talk. Catch you later.”
(父親節快樂!行了,挺好,下次再聊)

“I smile because you are my dad. I laugh because I can’t do anything about it.”
(因爲你是我爸,所以我會微笑。 因爲我對這件事無能為力,所以我會大笑。)

“Please accept this lame Father’s Day card as a token of my poverty.”
(請收下這張蹩腳的父親節賀卡,做爲我貧窮的象徵。)

“I hope this Father’s Day is as fun as you were before you had children.”
(我希望今年這個父親節,你過得和你還沒有孩子的時候前一樣有趣。)

“Thanks for not giving me up for adoption. Happy Father’s Day!”
(感謝您沒有把我送給別人收養。 父親節快樂!)

“I may be grown up but know this: I will always be your financial burden.”
(我可能已經長大了,但你要知道一件事:我永遠是你的經濟負擔。)


美國父親節的由來:

1909年,住在美國華盛頓州斯波坎市的杜德女士(Sonora Smart Dodd),在參加教會母親節禮拜後她想到:「世上為什麼沒有一個類似母親節的紀念父親的節日?」

杜德女士13歲的那一年,母親在生產時不幸去世,遺留下6名子女;杜德的父親威廉‧史馬特在成為為鰥夫後,立志不再續弦,他在美國華盛頓州東部的一個鄉間農場,父兼母職地栽培養育他的6名兒女(包括一名新生兒)。1909年,史馬特先生辭世。杜德在母親節感恩禮拜後,與教會牧師瑞馬士分享她父親在養育兒女過程中所付出的愛心與努力;她希望能有一個特別的日子,向自己的父親致敬,並藉此紀念全天下偉大的父親,於是她提出了設立父親節的建議,期盼世上也有一個對父親紀念感恩的節日。

瑞馬士牧師受史馬特先生的精神與愛心感動,支持杜德推動設立父親節的努力。杜德在1910年春天開始推動成立父親節的運動,隨即得到各教會組織的支持。她同時寫信向市長與州政府表達自己的想法與提議。在杜德的奔走努力下,士波肯市市長與華盛頓州州長公開表示贊成,於是華盛頓州便在1910年6月19日舉行了全世界第一次的父親節聚會。

1924年,美國總統凱文·柯立芝支持父親節成為全美節日。1966年,美國總統林登·詹森選用史馬特先生的生辰月份,宣佈當年六月為美國父親節之月。1972年,美國總統尼克森正式簽署文件,將每年六月的第三個星期日定為美國的父親節,從此成為美國永久性的國定紀念日。

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