(Enorth.com.cn) June 20, 2004¨CWhat did you prepare for your father? The 3rd Sunday of June is Father¡¯s Day! With new concepts infiltrating our daily lives, those foreign Celebrations like Christmas Day in December, Valentine¡¯s Day for lovers, Mother¡¯s Day in March gradually were taken as a necessary. Now, in the hot June, no matter you can remember this celebration or not, the business had already prepared for you.

This weekend various promotions of man commodities, such as raiment, wristwatch, shaver, all themed in the Father¡¯s Day competed their sparkles in Stores, Supermarkets to attract attentions from customers for this unpopular celebration. According to salesperson in Bin Jiang Department Store, ordinary presents for this celebration are dress, strap, lighter, while this year man cosmetic and man perfume became a popular choice.

A drawing competition, held by Carrefour and Nankai Youth Palace asked children to draw a picture of their father in a limited time. The competition, which was name¡°My Father is the Best¡±, gave children and their fathers a chance to communicate, interact, entertain in this special, and also could encourage children in their confidences. Another activity was to select 10 children at random, then ask them to find the some appointed commodities, such as wine, man underware, beverage and so on, which will become the presents of their fathers if they came back on time.

Father¡¯s Day History

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

A Celebration In Honor of All Father

Father's Day is a day of commemoration and celebration of Dad. It is a day to not only honor your father, but all men who have acted as a father figure in your life - whether as Stepfathers, Uncles, Grandfathers, or "Big Brothers."

It is a time of burnt toast and breakfast in bed, family gatherings, crayon scribbled "I Love You"s and, of course, that lovely new tie!

So buckle up, turn up the radio and get ready for a Father's Day ride with some fun Holiday things for you, your family, and your Dad.

We've got stories to read, music to enjoy, puzzles and games to play, pictures for the kids to color, and a chance to honor YOUR DAD at our celebration! So bring your kids and tell your friends. And please stop by again. Don't forget to sign our Guestbook before you leave.

Father¡¯s Day is celebrated in the US on Sunday, June 20, 2004. Other Countries celebrate throughout the year.