What kind of gift can I give my dad?

There are plenty of reasons to give my father an original present in a year. We just need to not be lazy and remember all of them, which is what we will do. What kind of gift can I give my dad for his birthday? How does it differ from the birthday one? When are we going to celebrate Father's Day? Find answers to these and other questions below.

Dad's holidays are so different

Let's start with those that are loved and expected in every home. On New Year's Eve, although the father takes out a bundle from under the elegant Christmas tree along with all the other family members, but for him it is more an encouragement for increased efforts than a gift. In families with a traditional patriarchal way of life, the main financial burden on the eve of the holiday falls on the father's shoulders. In short, what dad earned, they will pack him in a wrapper with snowflakes.

But on February 23, especially if a parent has faithfully paid his debt to the Motherland after serving military service, he has every right to claim personal family-wide attention. And no adjustments for the budget that has not yet recovered from the January long weekend! Let the adult family members anxiously rush around the shops in search of easy-to-purse, and sometimes even symbolic presents. Kids, it doesn't matter. To cheerfully chirp early in the morning: "Congratulations, beloved daddy!", money is not necessary at all. This moment is eagerly awaited.

Under the guidance of kindergarten teachers and schoolteachers, each child prepares a greeting for his father, not expensive, but sincere. A craft from my son, and a postcard from my daughter − that's a good holiday. If there are three or four children, and one of the older ones helped the kids organize, then here you are, daddy, and a full-fledged concert of thematic poetry songs.

When thinking about what gift to give dad for his birthday, the family takes into account the anniversary date or not. Regarding the non-circular, they manage with something practical and functional, taking into account hobbies, hobbies, circumstances. The father of a family man is pleased with a photo frame on his desktop, with a group portrait of his closest and dearest. Dad disappears all night long in the garage − they give him a set of tools. For those who like to sit by the campfire on the shore, they choose something from tourist ammunition, etc.

An anniversary gift is sought according to the same principles, but with great chic and care, so that momentary joy is combined with memory, at least until the next major date. Instead of a simple frame, a good album for photos: in an author's cover made of leather or stained oak. For a car enthusiast, a collector's model of a car of your favorite brand, and if finances allow, then the original. For a tourist hunter, there are personalized skewers in a quiver or a set with a knife, a hatchet, stacks and everything that the broad Russian soul craves in nature, decorated with jewelry by Zlatoust gunsmiths.

A distinctive feature of a family gift for a father's birthday is an obvious personalization bordering on intimacy. Only really close people can afford it. A handmade shaving machine, or a precious toothbrush − the official gift etiquette does not imply such an unceremonious introduction to personal space, but everything is possible for relatives.

There is a downside to this related benefit. A gift of mass family use, given to the father by colleagues, for example, an elite porcelain set is normal, and even representative. But if your wife gives it to you, then this is a rather insulting hint, they say, there is no yours in the house, there is only ours. In this situation, one should not be surprised at the personal secrets started by the venerable father of the family somewhere on the side. The father is a person, not an attachment to the hearth. If the family is really dear, it is contraindicated to forget about it.

Dad, you're a pro!

Another subtle move of family diplomacy. Labor collectives remind about professional dates every year, where the parent will definitely not remain without attention. But he works, first of all, for the benefit of his family. That's why she is given the honorable right and the opportunity to congratulate her energy engineer, builder, oilman and pros of any specialization ahead of everyone.

A gift by profession can be chosen from expensive souvenirs, since it is now represented in a wide variety of statuettes, steles, and table appliances. There is no way to spend money seriously, a mere trifle will do: a keychain for keys in the form of an electric light bulb, a T-shirt with the inscription: "The best builder", a decorative plate with the outlines of a drilling rig. Attach to it a couple of children's drawings from the proud daddy series, a hastily baked cake by his wife, and dad's holiday was set! But if the family forgot to congratulate in the hustle and bustle in the morning, official official toasts will no longer melt the chill in the heart of the hardworking dad.

On my father's name day, we baked a loaf!

Name days are still considered by some to be synonymous with a birthday (a relic of the Soviet past), however, in fact this is not the case.

In pre-revolutionary times, birthdays and name days in most cases really coincided. Children were mostly named according to the church calendar, choosing a patron saint for the newborn from those who were honored on the day of his birth.

In the old days, the name was given the importance not only of a personal identifier, but also of additional protection. There is a folk legend that when a person is addressed by name, the patron saint responds to the call, offering prayers to God for the ward. Name day − means the day of the name, that is, the feast of the holy saint of God, after whom the person is named.

In Soviet times, the tradition of naming saints was lost. Parents began to name their children arbitrarily, without thinking about heavenly patronage. New names like Stalin and Vladlen appeared, which did not exist, and could not be in the church books that were abolished as unnecessary.

After perestroika, the people, starved for the faith of the fathers, went to church again en masse, being baptized with an existing name, or choosing a consonant one according to the saints. Along with belonging to the Church of Christ, the new converts also received an additional personal holiday. Some of the celebrations, such as Nikola Winter and summer (December 19th and May 22nd) are universally known. If the baptized father has a less popular name, then his name day can always be clarified in the nearest church, or on specialized websites.

At the same time, you should be careful, there are many saints in the calendar bearing the same name. Which of them is the patron is indicated in the baptismal certificate. This document is always issued in the church, so it would not be superfluous to look at it. By the way, the name day may also be indicated there, but not necessarily.

You will not have to painfully invent a gift option for Dad's name day. In the thousand-year history of Orthodoxy in Russia, everything has long been invented. They give icons with the patron saint: a large one for the red corner, a miniature hiking one − in the car or on the desktop. Other religious gizmos that are allowed for home use by lay people are also good as a gift: lamps, candlesticks, prosphorica, flasks and mugs for holy water. Porcelain and silver figurines of guardian angels, sculptural compositions and canvases based on biblical subjects are suitable for expensive souvenirs. A Bible, patristic literature, a prayer book in a gift design is also an excellent birthday gift.

They have Father's Day and we have it

The third Sunday in June is International Father's Day, which is celebrated by more than 50 countries of the world, including: Great Britain, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Argentina, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Venezuela.

The initiative came from the USA, or rather from an American, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, who once felt deeply deprived at a church service on Mother's Day. Sonora and her five other children were raised by a single father. The lady petitioned the local municipality, offering to honor fathers as solemnly and annually as mothers.

The authorities of the small town of Spokane (Washington State) liked the idea. The first Father's Day was celebrated at the citywide level in 1910. In 1972, President Richard Nixon officially legalized Father's day throughout the United States, and soon it began to take root in other countries.

Not all of them. In many parts of the world, it is customary to honor fathers on their special day. So, Australians and New Zealanders do it on the first Sunday in September. Brazilians − on the second Sunday in August. Thailand tied the celebration to the birthday of its king. Pedantic Germans congratulate and thank a parent on Ascension Day. The Slavic brothers from Bulgaria glorify their fathers and magnify them in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos and Joseph the Betrothed. Lithuania established an official public holiday in 2011, celebrated on the first Sunday of June.

And finally, Russia. We do not have an official holiday yet, but it is possible that it will appear soon. Talks about the introduction of such an important all-Russian calendar date in the State Duma have been going on since 2014. Meanwhile, 7 subjects of the country, without waiting for an official directive, established a father's holiday by local legislative acts. Since the beginning of the new millennium, Cherepovets, Novosibirsk, Volgograd, Lipetsk, Kursk and Ulyanovsk regions have consistently joined the relay. And in 2011, the northern capital, St. Petersburg, joined it.

Where the public initiative has not yet matured, the private one is fueled by calendars of festive dates published on the web, most of which indicate the above−mentioned International Father's Day. Even if not within the framework of official celebrations, it will not be superfluous to remember the most expensive man in life.

To give cozy slippers or humidor for expensive cigars is possible, but the very fact of attention is infinitely important and pleasant for dad. If you are lucky enough to live exactly where dads are honored by the whole city, the best gift for a father will be the opportunity to be with his family in the midst of festive festivities. Tug of war, feeling the reliable shoulder of an adult son. Inflate soap bubbles, competing in this skill with a tiny daughter. Run in the same team with mom, trying to outrun the neighbor's family tandem. Is it not fatherly happiness to feel like the head of a friendly loving family?

Top 3: the most unusual gifts for dads

And finally, non-trivial cases that will surprise even connoisseurs of the world's gift traditions:

Jubilee Star

However, not from the sky, but only from America. The sons of businessman Telman Izmailov pampered their beloved dad with such a gift. They invited Jennifer Lopez herself to the banquet in honor of his half-century anniversary, who, for the sake of a more than generous fee, agreed to urgently leave all New York business and rush, or rather fly to Moscow.

For his 15-minute performance, the star received a fee of $ 2.1 million! This seemed to the hero of the day not enough, and he personally handed the singer a gold microphone studded with small diamonds. By the way, while she was singing, her husband, security guards and the entire cast of musicians dined at the restaurant for 500 thousand rubles, giving the honorable right to pay the bill to the organizers of the unplanned Russian tour. It is difficult to make out who, to whom and what was given in this case, but there is no doubt that the gift turned out to be memorable for everyone.

Papal gifts

The most famous pope in the world, the Pope of Rome, sometimes receives unexpected gifts, to put it mildly. Mexican fighter Saul Alvarez presented the pontiff with boxing gloves during a personal meeting at the Vatican.

On the eve of Victory Day, State Duma deputy from the Communist Party Pavel Dorokhin presented the primate of the Roman Catholic Church with a St. George ribbon and a copy of the Victory banner.

And the famous Italian luxury car manufacturer rolled up a special Huracan supercar as a gift to Pope Francis. Dad accepted the exclusive version of the car model made especially for him, but considered it an unacceptable luxury to use it for its intended purpose. It was decided to sell the car at Sotheby's auction, and use the proceeds for charity.

Funeral clothes and a coffin for a long happy life

The most unusual, and for us simply shocking, gift to my father was made by the ancient Chinese. They were looking for an opportunity to give a coffin to a parent!!! This was considered a sign of the greatest filial and filial care.

The fact is that a good coffin was very expensive. The poor buried their relatives, wrapping the body in a mat of reeds. Only the rich could afford a posthumous dwelling made of wood. Yew wood, which was not susceptible to rotting, was especially appreciated.

Wealthy Chinese prepared not one, but two coffins for themselves. The exterior was decorated as luxuriously as possible. If someone had taken care of such a gift, then they could not have wished for more joy. The donor has a place of honor in the house, and the gift should be carefully kept until then. Those who were allowed by their position and connections were handed over to a Buddhist temple or monastery for safekeeping, others made do with their own territory. In case of a natural disaster and other surprises, the gift coffin was the first piece of furniture that the owner took care of saving.

Another welcome gift for a Chinese father is funeral clothes. Curiously, he wore them during his lifetime, on the most solemn occasions, without experiencing any discomfort. Especially appreciated was a dark blue robe with an embroidered hieroglyph meaning longevity, to which traditional national beliefs attributed the ability to prolong life.