Fathers’ Day (Día del Padre) is celebrated to honor fathers and male parental figures in Mexico on the third Sunday of June. It is also observed in other countries.
Mexico has been a patriarchal society since pre-conquest times. Yet Father’s Day isn’t as popular in Mexico as Mother’s Day. Only about 50% of Mexican households celebrate Father’s Day, compared to 78% of households that celebrate Mother’s Day.
Is Father’s Day a Public Holiday?
Father’s Day is not a public holiday. It falls on domingo, 16 de junio de 2019 and most businesses follow regular domingo opening hours in Mexico.
Celebrate Fathers’ Day
Like Mothers’ Day and Children’s Day in Mexico, Fathers’ Day is a family-centric observance. Cards, chocolates, artwork, t-shirts, and other presents are given to fathers and father-like role models on this day. Father’s Day community activities, including fun runs, are held in some cities. Most schools have special events, such as pot-luck lunches, hand-made artwork on display, children singing songs, or school plays.
Public Life
Fathers’ Day is an observance and not a federal public holiday in Mexico.
About Fathers’ Day
There are some suggestions that the idea of Father’s Day may stem from the pagan sun worship. Some branches of paganism see the Sun as the father of the universe. The June solstice occurs around the same time of year as Father’s Day so some people see a link between the two.
The modern Fathers’ Day origin is believed to have come from the U.S. – some say it was first celebrated in Washington on June 19, 1910, while others believe it was celebrated in West Virginia on July 5, 1908. Regardless, the popularity of Fathers’ Day has spread to countries such as Mexico.
