When is Father's Day 2018 and why do we celebrate it?

While it may feel like we’ve only just been celebrating Mother’s Day, it is time to yet again show that extra bit of love to your parents.

Even if you remembered that Father’s Day is in June it can be easy to lose track of the exact date.

But don’t worry we have got you covered, we’ve rounded up all the information you need to know about Father’s Day - including when it actually takes place.

What is Father’s Day?

As the name would suggest it is a day celebrating fathers and it is a chance to show your dad how much he means to you, if you needed an excuse.

While it is celebrated across the country and around the world, Father’s Day is not currently a public holiday - so no day off sadly!

Father’s Day complements the other similar celebrations Mother’s Day, Siblings Day and Grandparents Day which are also celebrated throughout the year.

When is Father’s Day?

The annual celebration always falls on the third Sunday of June and that means it falls on June 17 in 2018 - which is this Sunday.

So if the date had slipped your mind you still have plenty of time to find the perfect present and card for your dad! Or to get a table booked at his favourite restaurant or pub.

Where does Father’s Day come from?

Well traditionally Catholics in Europe have celebrated a version of Father’s Day on March 19 since the Middle Ages - with that being the Feast of Saint Joseph and it was customary to celebrate fatherhood on that day.

This celebration was taken to the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese when they colonised Latin America and Father’s Day is still celebrated on March 19 in several countries in that region, including Honduras.

It is also still celebrated on March 19 in Spain, and is a public holiday in some regions of the country, and in Portugal - but it is not a bank holiday.

Father’s Day as we know it now was not celebrated until the 20th century.

When was Father’s Day first celebrated?

The modern verison of Father’s Day originates from the United States, emerging as a civic celebration in the early 1900s.

While the definitive origin is not known, some people believe that a woman called Grace Golden Clayton organised a Father’s Day on July 5, 1908, in the town of Grafton, West Virginia.

According to legend she suggested the celebration to her local pastor to help honour the memory of the 361 men killed in the Monongah Mining Disaster in December 1907 - 250 of the men were fathers.

However others argue that the first Father’s Day was held in the city of Spokane, Washington, on June 19, 1910, having been organised by a woman called Sonora Smart Dodd, who came up with the idea after hearing a Mother’s Day sermon the year before.

The celebration soon spread around the world, but the first Father’s Day was not held in Britain until after World War Two, according to the 2006 book The English Year.