Celebrating parents

Well this post is light-hearted (at least to start with) and clearly in the trivial facts category. I was intrigued to note in Sally's glimpse of paradise that Fathers' Day was celebrated in the UK last weekend. And then in Ravelry this evening I read lusciousluka who said:

Fathers are acknowledged and celebrated around the world throughout the year. The majority of countries celebrate on the third Sunday of June (or June 15th this year), with our friends down under throwing parties on the first Sunday in September. For a complete list of Father’s Day dates around the world, check out this list on Wikipedia.

SO a quick trip to Wikipedia seemed in order and I was amazed to find out that around the world there are 21 different Fathers' Days, with the first Sunday in September being an entirely Australasian custom. AND there are 32 different Mothers' Days often with explicit links to Holy Days and seasonal festivals. In many Arab countries the vernal equinox marks Mothers' Day, which is also the Persian New Year. Australia and New Zealand are in the most popular group; 64 countries celebrate Mothers on the second Sunday in May. France can never experience the juxtaposition that we did this year, as Mothers' Day shifts (from last Sunday in May to first Sunday in June) if it would coincide with Pentecost.

What a bunch of trivial facts. You will have noticed that I am a pedant with the punctuation as well - against Wikipedia's advice that: Although normal English punctuation guidelines indicate that the holiday should be spelled "Fathers' Day" / Mothers' Day (as it is a plural possessive), common usage dictates that the ostensibly singular possessive "Father's Day" is the preferred spelling.

But - here is the reflective bit - I was surprised at my surprise about UK Fathers' Day. Despite the fact that 14 years ago we were in California for four weeks in June, and my beloved had a year with two Fathers' Days. On that trip the kiddies were really kiddies (1,4,6) and I remember that after a few days of the brilliant Californian summer one of them asked if it would be Christmas soon. There is obviously something quite deep-seated which links our celebrations to the physical season. I realise Fathers' Day is like this for me - September 'feels like' Fathers' Day. Even though I have never been that attached to the custom, its observation is rooted deep in my experience.

In his notebook on Monday HM commented :

Yesterday was "Father's Day" in the US. Later this month will be the tenth anniversary of my Father's death. ...

I am not completely certain as to why, but in this last week going into two, my father has reappeared quite strongly in my daily consciousness...

And then I woke up yesterday morning, and I realized that it was father's day. I had not been paying attention, and really did not think--consciously anyway--of the day until its arrival. But the fact of the resurgence of my father in my recent consciousness being concurrent with the arrival of father's day was not lost on me....

I wonder if these occasions somehow affect us more when our parents are no longer with us. At that deeper level. For me this year Mothers' Day was less than two months after my mother's death. I spent a good day, with a walk along the Parramatta river to hold together the many different and juxtaposing facets that emerged. HM has caused me to think about how it might be in 10 years time. It will be interesting to map the journey over time. Prospectively for Mum and retrospectively for my Dad.

AND for me that Wikipedia list gives plenty of opportunity to manipulate my location so that I get to celebrate multiple Mother's Days in a single year.

Maybe :-)