The Print Bureau team wants to wish all dads a Happy Father’s Day this Sunday…

To make it a little different we wanted to share a few interesting facts about this holiday, it is after all the fourth-biggest day for sending printed cards…

Father’s Day was officially started in 1910 by an American woman named Sonora Todd. She wanted to honour the man who raised her after the death of her mother at childbirth. Contrary to what we would expect, the celebration was received by the public and some newspapers with ridicule and satire. In 1924, American president Calvin Coolidge makes Father’s Day a national holiday in America and in 1966, president Lyndon Johnson proclaims the third Sunday of June its official date.

But of course things are not always the same everywhere in the world…

The ancient Romans had a tradition of honouring fathers, every February, but only those who had deceased. Following Christian influence, Spain, Italy and Portugal, celebrate Father’s Day on 19th  March, which is the Feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of fathers. In Germany, Father’s Day is celebrated on the same date as Ascension Day, though many Germans rather celebrate in a not so holy fashion.

Across Scandinavia, the tradition of a Father’s Day was adopted in the 1930’s. Originally the American date was used, but in 1949 the Nordic countries decided to move it to the second Sunday in November. This was partly to place it half a year away from Mother’s Day but also it was chosen to increase sales in an otherwise quiet trading period before Christmas. The only country who didn’t fall in line was Denmark. They forgot to inform the public and press about the date change, so Father’s Day remained on the same day as their other early June holiday, Constitution Day.

In Taiwan, Father’s Day is celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is ‘ba’, while a colloquial word for father is ‘ba-ba’ – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to ‘daddy’. This was also the date for Father’s day in China, but the date was moved to the third Sunday in June.

In America, Father’s Day is the fourth-biggest day for sending greeting cards, after Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day and the amount spent on Father’s Day is less than that spent on Mother’s Day. 50% of all Father’s Day cards are purchased by sons or daughters. Nearly 20% of cards are bought by wives for their husbands; the remaining cards are bought for grandfathers, sons, brothers, uncles and “someone special.”

At Print Bureau we know everyone’s printing requirements are different, so why not call us to discuss your project. We’ll advise you regarding everything from design to delivery, and provide you with a quotation for the full job.

Call us today at 01 4733567 or email at sales@printbureau.ie for more information about your printing