Father's Day: what is the origin of the date celebrated in Brazil this Sunday?

The fourth busiest date in retail, the origin of Father's Day is associated with a common element in other events in the Brazilian commercial calendar: a marketing strategy.

Conceived by publicist Sylvio Bhering , at the time director of the newspaper and radio Globo, the celebration took place for the first time on August 16, 1953, in reference to the Day of Saint Joachim, father of Mary in the Catholic Church.

With the success of the advertising campaign, Father's Day underwent a "rebranding" and gained a new date in the Brazilian marketing calendar: the second Sunday in August, inspired by Mother's Day -- celebrated on the second weekend in May.

The change was the solution found to fill the commercial gap between June (Valentine's Day) and October (Children's Day).

" Bhering created a contest to honor fathers , seeking to identify the father with the most children, the youngest father, and the oldest father. The winners were the father of 31 children, the father of 16, and the father of 98. With the repercussion, the press, commercial entities, and other organizations came together to promote the event and Father's Day ," recalls Roberta Iahn, coordinator of the communications and advertising program at ESPM (Higher School of Advertising and Marketing).

Expectation for 2025

Seventy-two years since its creation, the Brazilian Electronic Commerce Association (ABCE) expects Father's Day to generate a movement of R$9.1 billion reais in Brazilian e-commerce , a growth of 14% compared to last year.

Father's Day in the world

If in Brazil the origin of Father's Day is linked exclusively to market motivations, in the United States the celebration, celebrated for the first time in 1909, refers to the figure of Sonora Luise Smart, who sought a way to honor her father , a Civil War veteran, responsible for raising her and her four siblings after the death of his wife.

"The principle was to strengthen family ties, not a commercial date. She heard a sermon dedicated to mothers and was inspired to thank her father. Sonora's father's life story was painful, as he was widowed after the birth of his sixth child and raised his children alone. A hero at home and a hero for the country," explains Roberta.

In other countries, the date is associated with different reasons, often linked to religious issues. Portugal, Spain, and Italy, countries with significant Catholicism, celebrate March 19th as the Day of Saint Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus.

In Russia, the celebration takes place on February 23rd along with Defender of the Fatherland Day, a celebration that combines tributes to both father figures and local war heroes.

Around the world, the day is celebrated in more than 70 countries, including Greece, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Angola, Canada, France, Malaysia, South Africa, India, and Bolivia. "Whether religious, political, or commercial, Father's Day is a widely celebrated holiday around the world."

First Father's Day

Although there is no precise historical record of the celebration's origin, the expert recalls a tradition, reported in antiquity, that can be considered the first Father's Day . "It was in Babylon, more than 4,000 years ago, when Elmesu, son of Nebuchadnezzar, the most famous king in history, molded in clay what would become the first Father's Day card, wishing him luck and long life. "