How one daughter's love for her father created Father's Day

Every year, millions of families around the world celebrate Father's Day with cards, gifts, family lunches and heartfelt messages.

But few know that the holiday began with a daughter who simply wanted the world to appreciate her father.

The story takes us back more than a century to Spokane, Washington, in the United States.

In 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd sat in church listening to a Mother's Day sermon. As people spoke about honouring mothers, her thoughts drifted to her own father, William Jackson Smart.

A Civil War veteran and single parent, William had raised six children after the death of his wife. At a time when such responsibilities often fell to women, he took on the challenge of caring for his family alone.

Sonora believed fathers deserved recognition too. Why, she wondered, was there a day to celebrate mothers but not fathers?

Inspired by the growing Mother's Day movement, she began campaigning for a special day dedicated to fathers. Her proposal gained support from local churches, businesses and community leaders.

On June 19, 1910, Spokane held what is widely recognised as the first Father's Day celebration.

The idea spread gradually across the United States. However, unlike Mother's Day, Father's Day took decades to gain official recognition.

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation recognising the third Sunday of June as Father's Day. Six years later, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed it into law as a permanent national observance.

Today, Father's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, although dates and traditions vary. More importantly, the day has evolved beyond gifts and greetings.

For many families, it offers an opportunity to reflect on the role fathers play in shaping lives, communities and generations. The meaning of fatherhood has also changed over time. Modern fathers are increasingly expected to be emotionally present, actively involved in parenting and supportive partners at home.

Yet the essence of the day remains much the same as Sonora imagined more than a century ago: recognising the men who guide, protect, nurture and sacrifice for their families.

This Father's Day, as families gather to celebrate, it is worth remembering that the occasion began not with a government proclamation or commercial campaign, but with a daughter's gratitude.

In seeking to honour one devoted father, Sonora Smart Dodd created a tradition that continues to remind the world of the importance of fatherhood.

How Father's Day Is Celebrated in Kenya

In Kenya, Father's Day is observed on the third Sunday of June, although it is not a public holiday. Over the years, the occasion has quietly grown in popularity, with families finding different ways to honour fathers and father figures.

For many Kenyans, the day begins in church, where special prayers are offered for fathers and men are recognised for their role in families and communities. Some churches organise appreciation services, while others invite families to celebrate fathers through messages, gifts and acts of gratitude.

Away from church, many families mark the day with a special meal, a visit to parents and grandparents, phone calls to fathers living far away, or simple gestures such as cards and heartfelt messages. Social media has also become an important part of the celebration, with children sharing photographs, memories and tributes to the men who have shaped their lives.

This year, some organisations are taking the celebration a step further. In Nairobi, the annual Blue Ribbon Father's Day Run and Walk is bringing together fathers, children and families for a day focused on health, bonding and family wellness. The event reflects a growing recognition that fatherhood is not only about provision, but also presence, connection and shared experiences.

While Father's Day may not attract the same commercial attention as some other celebrations, its message continues to resonate across Kenya: a reminder to pause, appreciate and acknowledge the fathers, grandfathers, mentors and father figures whose influence often shapes families for generations.

More than 100 years later, Sonora Smart Dodd simple message still resonates: Sometimes the people who quietly carry us through life deserve to hear "thank you."