father s day a celebration of fathers and father figures in the lives of their children the epitome of mother s day as we may know it to be a worldwide celebration a day of gratitude and appreciation for paternal bonds on this day many shops run out of a good pair of socks and ties and opting for breakfast in bed for your old man may seem like the perfect way to go right well you d be surprised at how this day is celebrated in some parts of the world this is how other countries celebrate father s day across the globe 1 one country that gets it right germany father s day celebrations in germany take up to four days this public holiday is a day off work for everybody known as vatertag also maennertag it involves drinking beer riding a beer bike for germans this day is traditionally a public holiday thursday followed by a day off the next day friday and then the weekend saturday and sunday this is to allow fathers who took part in the beer festivities to recover and prepare themselves for the next week 2 thailand in thailand father s day is celebrated on december 5 the birthday of king bhumibol adulyadej who is considered the father of the nation in the past a great number of thais would pour onto the streets to honour the king on his birthday often staying up all night to get a place that s close enough to see the king up close when he would give a speech to the people many locals at these events wore yellow shirts yellow symbolising the colour considered by many thais to represent monday the day of the king s birth in 1927 on this day the king gives a speech and fathers throughout the country receive canna flowers which are believed to be the masculine version of lilies 3 nepal on this day nepali people pay homage to their father with their favorite food clothing and other dad s favorite stuff the nepalese celebration of father s day is known as gokarna aunsi and is celebrated in late summer each year locals celebrate this festival with prayer offerings to the shiva shrine at gokarna temple people gather at the gokarna temple to pray for fathers who have passed away in celebration of their fathers and as a sign of gratitude sons place their foreheads on their fathers feet while daughters place their foreheads on their fathers hands and this is why many may say nepal celebrates it through a forehead ritual 4 mexico the race is on father s day in mexico consists of fathers partaking in an annual 21km race known as the carrera dia del padre which takes place at the bosque de tlalpan in mexico city the day is also celebrated with gifts and celebratory meals some families pay tribute to their deceased fathers grandfathers and brothers through prayers and observing a moment of silence 5 france father s day in france is celebrated on the third sunday in june it is an observance and not an official public holiday the french father s day originated from cigarette lighters flaminaire a light manufacturer created father s day in france in 1949 the company suggested cigarette lighters as the ideal gift however lighters have become less popular and insignificant father s day gifts modern fathers are given presents such as chocolates and homemade gifts including paintings and handwritten poems some families celebrate the day by eating out while others stay at home to prepare special meals 6 russia father s day is known as defender of the fatherland day and was traditionally a military commemoration reserved for soldiers who were honoured in parades throughout russia russians call it defender of the fatherland day however it has now evolved into a day that celebrates all men on this day women give gifts to all the important men in their lives 7 uruguay fathers are honoured by hanging skeletons outside their doors as this represents padre esqueleto or father skeleton in folklore in a nutshell uruguay has a father s day skeleton tradition happy father s day to you and yours