Father’s Day in the great outdoors: A leaf out of Germany’s book
Inspiration from Germany’s unique take on Father’s Day.
If this Sunday is the answer, what is the question? When is Father’s Day, of course—but only if you are in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, or Papua New Guinea.
In fact, Father’s Day is celebrated on a whopping 30 different dates around the world, but usually in similar ways with breakfast in bed, handmade cards, and gifts of socks.
Germany, however, strikes out on its own, observing Father’s Day in a unique manner on Ascension Day.
The religious holiday in May, called Christi Himmelfahrt in German, is recognised as a public holiday. Unlike the modern Father’s Day movement, which has its origins in the USA in the early 20th century, Ascension Thursday has been a celebration of fatherhood in Germany since the 18th century.
Around this time, the holy day honouring Gott, der Vater, started to include the fathers of the village, who would be carted in a procession to the town square. There the man with the most children would be publicly rewarded with a large ham.
Today Vatertag is also known as Männertag (Men’s Day), and while the religious aspects fell away over time, the wooden cart stayed: groups of men will commonly go hiking, pulling along a Bollerwagen full of beer and regional food behind them.
Unfortunately, the combination of a “lad’s trip” mentality and the prospect of creating a four-day weekend by taking Friday off means that many see Vatertag as a day of binge-drinking. Indeed, it has been reported that alcohol-related traffic incidents in Germany are three times higher than usual on the holiday.
However, when done responsibly, there is something to be said for taking a day out to enjoy nature and spend time with the male role-models in our lives. This Sunday, why not pack a picnic basket (or hand wagon) and take Dad out on one of Waikato’s many walking trails?
