Father’s Day has come a long way since its modern inception in 1908, when the towns of Fairmont, West Virginia, and Spokane, Washington, celebrated the first and second official Father’s Days within two weeks of each other that June. The holiday caught on and became widely celebrated in the United States, though it was not until 1972 that Richard Nixon established it as an official holiday, and Madison Avenue did to it what Hallmark did to Valentine’s Day.
But as Americans, we can’t take credit for Father’s Day. In every inhabited corner of the globe, people have developed unique ways of thanking Dear ol’ Dad for raising us, guiding us, and for simply being there. So this year, when you’re thinking of what to get for Dear ol’ Dad, take a look at what the rest of the world does for their fathers.
Candy, meat, and self-imposed acts of humiliation
In late August or early September, the Nepalese celebrate Gokarna Aunsi. On this day, grateful sons and daughters present their fathers with traditional sweets and slabs of meat—a perfect gift for any red blooded American.
Those whose fathers are no longer among the living spend this day worshiping the Gokarneswor Mahadev, a sacred shrine to the Hindu lord Shiva. The shrine is in the village of Gokarna, five miles east of Kathmandu, and is said to have a strong connection with the souls of the dead. At the shrine, the fatherless pilgrims give gifts of grain and coins to the priests who live there, since the priests have no children of their own. And what Father’s Day would be complete without showing your old man that he’s still the boss? Nepalese sons do this by rubbing dad’s feet with their head in an act of veneration. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what is.
Dad not crazy about meat? Do what the Sicilians do.
March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day, and since Joseph was the most important father in the Catholic Church, it’s also a day for honoring dad. For Italians, this means an ample feast. However, March 19th almost always falls in the middle of Lent, when orthodox Catholics abstain from meat, so “St. Joseph’s Table,” as it is called, is entirely without meat. Families gather around the table and eat all manner of bread, vegetables, egg dishes and St. Joseph’s Pasta, which consists of spaghetti in a red sauce often with anchovies or sardines and topped with bread crumbs representing sawdust (a nod to Joseph’s profession as a carpenter).
In Sicily, fava beans are also an important part of the festivities. As legend has it, the medieval Sicilians survived a massive drought and famine by praying to St. Joseph, who in his infinite grace pulled some strings with the Big Guy and saved the Sicilians with…yeah, you guessed it…fava beans. Sources insist there was no Chianti to speak of.
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