Have you ever wondered how different countries celebrate Father’s Day? From Thailand to Germany, this special day is dedicated to honouring fathers and father figures in unique ways. The one common factor is the strong bond of love within families. Have a look to see how the day is celebrated in Japan, Thailand, Germany and Sweden:
Japan
To celebrate Chichi No Hi, children in Japan will give gifts to show their gratitude, similar to other countries. Gifts tend to be food- or alcohol-related, with wagyu and traditional alcoholic beverages like sake being the most popular. Unlike other countries, Japanese Father’s Day celebrations do not typically go beyond gift-giving, which is one way that traditions are unique. Taking place on the third Sunday of June, families may gather to share a meal of shrimp or crab at home or in a restaurant, but the celebrations do not go any further than that. With the food, clothes and cologne, fathers in Japan are happy to spend the day receiving gifts.
Thailand
Father’s Day in Thailand is all about honouring one’s father as well as everything associated with fatherhood and society. Celebrated annually on December 5, it marks the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX ), Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch. To commemorate the day, Fathers in Thailand are gifted Canna lilies or Phuttharaska flowers, which are yellow and represent the birthday colour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX ), who was born on a Monday. Each day of the week is given a colour in Thailand, and as Father’s Day falls on a Monday, you would often see men wearing yellow colours.
Germany
Vatertag in Germany is celebrated on Ascension Day, which falls on the Thursday 40 days after Easter. In some regions of Germany, it is also known as men’s day (Männertag ) or gentlemen’s day, as all males, even those who are not fathers, take part in the celebrations. A custom on Father’s Day is that men will go out for hikes, taking some wagons with them which are loaded with beer, wine and food to ‘sustain’ the men on their hike. The beer and wine supplies are fully depleted before the hike is over. Nowadays, many German men take the next day off from work to nurse their hangovers, as this day rivals the amount of drinking that happens during Oktoberfest.
Sweden
Fars Dag takes place on the second Sunday in November instead of June. The tradition was initially adopted in the mid-20s and was similar to the original Father’s Day festivities in America. Since it was initiated, the holiday has grown, and each year is used to show appreciation for dads. Swedish men are gifted snacks, handmade crafts and more traditionally, ties. There is a joke in Sweden that older dads tend to have a lot of ties. To say happy Father’s Day in Swedish, you would say Trevlig farsdag!
