We Are Not Alone: Father’s Day in Spanish-Speaking Countries

Jun 12 | 0 comments | culture

Year after year we agonize over which tie, pair of socks or cologne to buy and give to the father, fathers or father-figure in our lives. Perhaps this year you will take comfort from the fact that Americans aren’t the only ones who must endure the torment and insecurity of picking out the “perfect” gift: most Spanish-speaking countries must do it as well!

Father’s Day (El Día de Los Padres) Dates in Spanish-Speaking Countries

Country	Date
Belize	Third Sunday in June
Costa Rica	Third Sunday in June
El Salvador	June 17th
Guatemala	June 17th
Honduras	March 19th
Nicaragua	June 23rd
Panama	Third Sunday in June
Argentina	Third Sunday in June
Bolivia	March 19th
Chile	Third Sunday in June
Colombia	Third Sunday in June
Ecuador	Third Sunday in June
Paraguay	Third Sunday in June
Peru	Third Sunday in June
Uruguay	July 19th
Venezuela	Third Sunday in June
Mexico	Third Sunday in June
Puerto Rico	Third Sunday in June

The majority of the Spanish-speaking countries featured above share the same Father’s Day date as the U.S.–the third Sunday of June. But while Father’s Day is an official holiday in the United States, for many of the these Spanish-speaking countries (Mexico and Costa Rica among them) Father’s Day is an unofficial holiday. Nevertheless, it is celebrated with the same fervor. I guess fathers in both the United States and Spanish-speaking countries are great pretenders: they always make us believe that what we buy them, however banal and boring it may be, is their favorite.

Happy Father’s Day!

¡Feliz Día del Padre!