“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” – Sigmund Freud.
Remember the days as a child, when you used to wait for your father to be back home in the evening? When you would jump into his arms … share your day’s exploits with him? And how patiently he would hear to all your tales? How easily he would solve the most intricate problems? You would know his arrival by the sheer knock on the door… you knew it was him. You knew him by his body odor – that soothing one that always seemed to reassure you that he was near. You knew him by his touch, his sounds, his gait …… you knew him by instinct.
The picture remains same. Over time and across geographical locations – the picture of a child relating to his/her father remains unaltered. No matter which corner of the world you belong the facets of relationship with your father never seems to change – the games you played with him in the backyard, the long drives, the values you learnt …. the list is endless.
It’s this universality of a father-child relationship that makes Fathers Day a global event. While dates vary across regions, so does the language of wishing your father a “Happy Father’s Day”.
This is how you would say “Happy Father’s Day” in different languages –
1) Spanish – Día de padres feliz
2) Russian – Счастливый день отцов
3) Portuguese – Dia de pais feliz
4) Italian – Giorno di padri felice
5) German – Glücklicher Vatertag
6) French – Jour de pères heureux
7) Dutch – De gelukkige Dag van Vaders
Although most countries celebrate Fathers Day according to the American custom, on the third Sunday of June, however there are some regions where Fathers day is celebrated on other dates. Argentina, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Zimbabwe all follow the American custom ( third Sunday of June) while Austria, Belgium and Costa Rica celebrate the event on the second Sunday of June. In the southern hemisphere – Australia and New Zealand celebrate Father’s Day on the first Sunday of September. Russia celebrates the event on 23rd February while In China Father’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of August. Some countries again have a religious aspect to this event. While Iran celebrates Father’s Day according yto the Islamic calendar on 13 Rajab, Germany follows the Biblical date of Ascension Day to celebrate the event. This year ( 2007) the date was on May 17.
No matter what date the event is celebrated on, what language is used to wish – the core emotion of expressing love, respect and gratitude on this day remains unchanged.
