IT’S time to raise a glass to the old man.
Today families will be coming together to celebrate dads across the country on Father’s Day.

For some, this will just be an exchange of cards and gifts, while others may look to enjoy a family day out in the sun.

Though dismissed by some cynics as a manufactured commercial event, the origin of Father’s Day might surprise some.
The source of the celebration of dads, although disputed, it widely accepted to have started in the USA.

One version is that it began in Fairmount, West Virginia, by a woman called Grace Gordon Clayton.
It is recorded that in 1908, she campaigned for her local service to honour dads following the Monongah mining disaster, the worst in US history which, the year before, had claimed the lives of 362 men.

The other tale cites US Civil War veteran Sonora Smart Dodd as the champion of Father’s Day, stating that the daughter from Arkansas wanted to honour her dad, who had raised his six children alone after his wife died in childbirth.
In 1910, the first Father’s Day celebration by Ms. Dodd was staged in Spokane, Washington.

Not long after our two Father’s Day champions (allegedly) got to work, the United States Congress officially designated the third Sunday of June for the celebration in 1913.
But it was not until 1972 when the recognition of Father’s Day was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

And while Father’s Day is celebrated widely across the globe, it is usually celebrated at this time.
While the UK and other countries like Japan, India and countries in the Caribbean follow America’s lead, others have assigned their own days to celebrate dads.

For Italy and Spain, Festa del Papà and Día del Padre are celebrated on March 19.
Brazil marks the occasion on the second Sunday in August, while Australia and New Zealand hold their versions on the first Sunday in September.