National Grandparents Day

National Grandparents Day
Observed by Various countries
Type International
Date First Sunday after Labor Day (US)
2018 date September 9
2019 date September 8
2020 date September 13
Frequency annual

National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States of America since 1978 and officially recognized in a number of countries on various days of the year, either as one holiday or sometimes as a separate Grandmothers' Day and Grandfathers' Day (for the first time Grandma's Day was celebrated in Poland in 1965,[1]see below for dates by country). One celebrates both paternal and maternal grandparents.

History

Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia, has been recognized nationally by the United States Senate – in particular by Senators Jennings Randolph;[2] and Robert Byrd – and by President Jimmy Carter, as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the important contributions seniors have made throughout history. She also urged the youth to "adopt" a grandparent, not just for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime. Co-founder Cynthia Bennett, who worked for Marian's husband, contributed by writing letters of verification.

In 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) introduced a resolution to the senate to make Grandparents' Day a national holiday. West Virginia's Governor Arch Moore had proclaimed an annual Grandparents' Day for the state, at the urging of Marian McQuade. When Senator Randolph's resolution in the U.S. Senate died in committee, Marian McQuade organized supporters and began contacting governors, senators, and congressmen in all fifty states. She urged each state to proclaim their own Grandparents' Day. Within three years, she had received Grandparents' Day proclamations from forty-three states. She sent copies of the proclamations to Senator Randolph.

In February 1977, Senator Randolph, with the concurrence of many other senators, introduced a joint resolution to the senate requesting the president to "issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as 'National Grandparents' Day'." Congress passed the legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents' Day and, on August 3, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation.[3][4] The statute cites the day's purpose: "...to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer".

Music of the U.S. National Grandparents Day

In 2004, the National Grandparents Day Council of Chula Vista, California announced that A Song for Grandma and Grandpa by Johnny Prill would be their official song of the U.S. National Grandparents Day holiday.[5][6][7]

The National Grandparents' Day Council presented Prill with an award in recognition of his composition: A Song for Grandma and Grandpa.[8]

Flower of U.S. National Grandparents Day

Forget-me-not

The flower of the U.S. National Grandparents Day is the forget-me-not which blooms in the spring. As a result, seasonal flowers are given in appreciation to grandparents on this day.

Grandparents' Day[s] around the world

Australia

The state Queensland celebrates Grandparents' Day on the first Sunday in October.[9] New South Wales held their first Grandparents' Day on Sunday 30 October 2011, and will celebrate it each year on the last Sunday of October. This year's Grandparents' Day is being led by Council on the Ageing NSW (COTA NSW). The Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia held their first Grandparents' Day in 2012.

Canada

National Grandparents' Day began in Canada in 1995 but was discontinued in 2014. Motion number 273 submitted in the House of Commons by Mr. Sarkis Assadourian read:

That, in the opinion of this House, the government should consider designating the second Sunday in September of each year as Grandparents' Day in order to acknowledge their importance to the structure of the family in the nurturing, upbringing and education of children.[10]

Estonia

In Estonia, Grandparents' Day (Vanavanemate päev) is celebrated on the second Sunday in September.[11]

France

In France, Grandmothers' Day (La fête des grands-mères) was launched in 1987 by a brand of coffee (Café Grand'Mère), part of the Kraft Jacobs Suchard Group. The date is now included in French calendars and is celebrated on the first Sunday in March.[12]

Germany

In Germany, Grandmothers' Day was established in 2010 and is celebrated on the second Sunday in October.

Hong Kong

Junior Chamber International Victoria[13] introduced the first Grandparents' Day in Hong Kong in 1990. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in October.

Theme song of Grandparents' Day in Hong Kong:
The Good Times (好風光)
Singer: Eric Suen Yiu-wai (孫耀威)
Music: Raymond Mosen / Lyrics: Leung Pak-kin & Raymond Mosen
Producer: Schumann Lee
Publisher: Universal Music Hong Kong

Italy

In Italy, Grandparents' Day (officially Festa Nazionale dei Nonni, "National Grandparents' Feast") was established in 2005 and is celebrated on October 2,[14] Guardian Angels' Day in the Roman Catholic Church.

Mexico

In Mexico, Grandparents' Day (Spanish: Día del Abuelo) is celebrated on August 28.

Poland

In Poland, "Grandma's Day" (Polish: Dzień Babci) was created in 1964 by the Kobieta i Życie magazine, and popularized from 1965 onwards. It is celebrated on January 21. "Grandpa's Day" (Polish: Dzień Dziadka) is celebrated a day later, on January 22.[15]

Singapore

Singapore started celebrating Grandparents' Day in 1979, a year after the U.S. started. It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in November.

South Sudan

South Sudan started celebrating Grandparents' Day in 2013 and celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in November.

Spain

In Spain, Grandparents' Day (Spanish: Día del Abuelo) is celebrated on July 26, the feast day of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Taiwan

The Ministry of Education (Republic of China) initiated Grandparents' Day (祖父母節, Zǔfùmǔ Jié) in Taiwan on 29 August 2010, on the last Sunday in August annually, shortly before schoolchildren would start a new semester.[16]

United Kingdom

The celebration was introduced to the UK in 1990 by the charity Age Concern. It has been celebrated on the first Sunday in October since 2008,[17] although it is not widely advertised and has not been as commercially successful as Mother's and Father's Day. Businesses specialising in gifts and greeting cards have started merging the respective grandparents days with Mother's Day and Father's Day to try to boost sales.

[18] [19]

United States

Congress passed the legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents' Day in the U.S. and, on August 3, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation.

References

  1. ↑ {{cite web|url=http://wiadomosci.wp.pl/kat,1342,title,Dzien-Babci-wymyslono-w-Poznaniu,wid,11878101,wiadomosc.html |title=Dzień Babci wymyślono w Poznaniu |publisher=wp.pl |date|accessdate=2014-01-21}}
  2. ↑ Congressional Record, February 21, 1977, Joint Resolution S.J. Res. 24, 95th Congress, 1st Session
  3. ↑ Jimmy Carter: Proclamation 4580 - National Grandparents Day, 1950
  4. ↑ Carter, Jimmy. Greeting to Johnny Prill. 2010. National Grandparents Day. Web. <http://www.nationalgrandparentsday.com/PresidentJimmyCarter.html>.
  5. ↑ "Gratitude for grandparents". The Roanoke Times. 2014-09-04. Archived from the original on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-13. It is appropriate, then, that the official flower of Grandparents Day is the forget-me-not. “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa,” written by Johnny Prill, was named the official song of the holiday in 2004.
  6. ↑ Coleman, Marilyn J.; Ganong, Lawrence H. (2014). The Social History of the American Family: An Encyclopedia. Sage Publications. p. 641. ISBN 1452286159. Retrieved 2015-01-21. Since 2004, there has been an official Grandparents Day song, "A Song for Grandma and Grandpa", by Johnny Prill, a singer-songwriter in the folk-polka traditions and a lifelong volunteer performer at nursing homes.
  7. ↑ Barber, Lorin (2011). 28 Tips to Become a Great Grandpa. Cedar Fort, Inc. p. 36. ISBN 1462100554. Retrieved 2015-01-21. For example, the first Sunday after Labor Day is designated "Grandparents Day" in the United States. The official "Grandparents Day" has an official song, "A Song for Grandma and Grandpa," and an official flower, the forget-me-not.
  8. ↑ National Grandparents Council. Johnny Prill Wins National Songwriter's Award. National Grandparents Day. 14 August 2004. Web. <http://www.nationalgrandparentsday.com/NationalSongwritersAward.html>.
  9. ↑ https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/communityservices/seniors/grandparents-day
  10. ↑ "Debates (No. 247)". Debates of the House of Commons: 35th Parliament, 1st Session. House of Commons of Canada. October 25, 1995. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  11. ↑ https://m.riigikogu.ee/en/sitting-reviews/riigikogu-passed-act-providing-grandparents-day/
  12. ↑ KJS lance la 13e Fête des grand'mères », Stratégies, 17 février 1999
  13. ↑ http://www.vjc.org.hk
  14. ↑ ""Istituzione della Festa nazionale dei nonni", Legge 31 luglio 2005, n. 159" (in Italian).
  15. ↑ "Dzień Dziadka". Retrieved 2014-01-21.
  16. ↑ (in Chinese) 教育部 99年第一屆「祖父母節」記者會活動
  17. ↑ Grandparents Day has moved to Sunday October 5, 2008 - Age Concern 2008-02-26
  18. ↑ Jimmy Carter: Proclamation 4580 - National Grandparents Day, 1950
  19. ↑ Carter, Jimmy. Greeting to Johnny Prill. 2010. National Grandparents Day. Web. <http://www.nationalgrandparentsday.com/PresidentJimmyCarter.html

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