David B & Macrine J Katague-Grandparents of Six ranging from 6 to 18 years of age-Photo taken August 22, 2009, Buena Park, California Do you know that today is grandparents day. I was not aware of it until after church this morning. The priest celebrating the mass ask the congregation of the significant of this Sunday. Only one out of the 500 attendees was able to answer him correctly. Then he invited all great grandparents to stand. About 10 couples stood up. Next he requested all grandparents to stand up to be recognized. There were about 50 of us who stood up. The whole congregation then gave us an applause.
National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the US and Canada on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In the United Kingdom it is observed on first Sunday of October. In France, grandmothers and grandfathers day are celebrated separately each year. Grandmother's are honored in the first Sunday of March and Grandfathers on First Sunday of October just like in UK. I have no idea if Grandparents Day is observed in the Philippines. If there is no official day for grandparents in the Philippines, I urged the Arroyo administration to do it before her term ends next year. If there is such a date, please let me know. Here's a short history of grandparents day from Wikipedia:
“Grandparents Day can be traced back to the first national Grandparents Day in 1978. With the efforts of Hermine B. Beckett Hanna, of North Syracuse, New York, who started the process in 1961 and was recognized by Congressman Jim Walsh, of New York in front of the U.S. House of Representatives. Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia has also been recognized nationally by The United States Senate, in particular Senator Alphonse D'Amato, and President Carter as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the young in the community to the important contributions senior citizens have made, and to the important contributions they are willing to make if asked. She also urged the young to adopt a grandparent, not for one day a year, not for material giving, but for a lifetime of experience and caring just waiting to be shared with others.
In 1973 Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) introduced a resolution in the Senate to make Grandparents Day a national holiday. Five years later in 1978, Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day and then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation[1].The statute cites the day's purpose as: "... 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."
So listen all you young people of US and Canada, if you read this blog, please say Hello to your Grandparents to acknowledge their importance in your lives. If you want to send flowers, the official flower of Grandparents Day is the Forget-me-not. As for my own grandchildren, I really do not expect them to send me anything, for I am very sure, they do not even know that today is Grandparents Day!
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