Le Paris Weekend: La Fête des Peres

La Fête des Peres: Father's Day

Celebrate Dads this Sunday

The idea to have a day honoring fathers and fatherhood is said to have originated from Sonora Dodd in the early 20th century after hearing a church sermon about Mother's Day. Sonora Dodd's father, a Civil War vet, was also a single parent. She told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday honoring them. The first Father's Day celebration and sermon took place the third Sunday of June in 1910. 

But it wasn't until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law.


To all fathers out out there: Thank you!

Things to do with dad this weekend

1. Hearty American breakfast in bed: skip the croissants and give dad a hearty stack of pancakes, eggs, bacon. Can't find pancake mix and other products from home? Check out Thanksgiving located in the 4th arrondissement.
  

2. Shop for this year's must-haves for him: Decathlon has all the essentials and more for the sporty dads, while your techie-dad will love the items from Fnac. But if he's all of the above or hard to shop for- why not get him a gift card and let him be the kid in the candy store this time?

3. Relax: sometimes the simplest things are great things. Take the children out for a nice long walk (weather permitting), movies, or the mall and let dad relax and slow down for a few hours.

Le Paris Weekend: Fête des voisins

La fête des voisins: 

As an American, who is used to warm greetings from neighbors and block parties during the summer months- this festival hits a sweet spot for me.

This festival is due to the initiative of Atanase Périfan, who had launched the idea in 1999 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, with the association he had founded some years earlier, Friends of Paris.
But this was  not the first, many Belgian municipalities had similar initiatives known as the neighborhood barbecue, Street Party, Dinner neighbors.

The following year,  the Association of Mayors of France, then social landlords (HLM), supported this initiative which later developed throughout France. From 2000 to 2009, fête des voisins was held on the last  Tuesday of May but in 2010 the festival was moved to the last Friday of May. After the creation of Voisins Solidaires in 2008, the festival has since been gaining support of city counsils, housing organizations, and local businesses.

Also known as Neighbor's Day, this festival is also celebrated in more than 30 countries!