In Italy, this date is also recognised as the feast of St Joseph. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers (and carpenters) - as Christ's earthly father, he is of course an excellent role model for fathers everywhere. Wooden altars are made to honour the saint and pastries (cuccadati) are prepared as part of the feast.

The third Sunday of June is Father's Day in the UK, France, Holland, the USA and Canada, along with most of Asia. The history of Father's Day dates back to 1909, when Sonora Louisa Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, USA was listening to a sermon about Mother's Day and wondering why there was no corresponding day for fathers. Her own father, William Jackson Smart, a veteran of the Civil War, had devoted his life to raising his children after his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child. Sonora Dodd wanted to honour her father for his loyalty and selflessness, so she decided to lobby the local authorities in Washington to declare an official day to remember fathers for their contribution. She had wanted it to be the first Sunday in June (William's birthday), however the resolution was not passed until the third Sunday of June in 1910. Initially, Father's Day was only recognised within the Washington area, but it gained momentum over time - in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson made a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father's Day, an occasion to honour and thank fathers and father figures everywhere.

There seems to be a more light-hearted slant to the greeting card sentiments for Father's Day compared to those sent on Mother's Day: sentimental verse with lots of flowers versus lines about DIY nuts or beer-swilling slobs living the couch potato lifestyle. Do we really see dads this way? Of course not, but dads and humour often go together, as the following anecdote from my expat years in Germany may illustrate...