Until Grandfather's Day in France are 161 days, ie 5 months and 8 days.
In 2024 Grandfather's Day in France is on October 6th (sunday).
Grandfathers Day is a very young festival. It appeared in 2008 and it's not commercialized that much.
Family and celebrations of the days of its memebers
Grandma's Day was created in 1987 by the coffee brand Café Grand'Mère. Product promotion turned into a social event, celebrated throughout France. On this occasion, various events, meetings and workshops are organized. Grandmothers get tulips and daffodils, which are symbols of the holiday. Previously, grandmothers were not so good. There was no separate holiday in their honour and Grandma's Day was celebrated informally on Mother's Day. Mother's Day was established in 1941. Nine years after it's appearance, the first festival in honour of fathers emerged. Grandparents had their holiday with the whole family at the latest, in 2008.
Grandfather's Day as a private initiative
The history of the creation of the French grandmother's day, related to commercial activities, is astonishing. The grandparents could not, of course, be left behind. The history of the creation of their holiday is therefore also unusual. We owe the creation of Grandfather's Day to the private initiative of Frank Izquierdo, a French author of books for children. The writer was deeply attached to his grandfather. He wondered whether there was a holiday dedicated specially to grandparents. He established contact with people and inquired about they thoughts about the holiday. Then it came the time for the registration of the festival.
Registration. National de la Propriété Intellectuelle
What was the cost of establishing Grandfathers Day? It may surprise the reader, but not that much. Frank Izquierdo took 15 euro and send it to the institution named National de la Propriété Intellectuelle. The festival was established under the name of its originator. Interestingly, the funds, devoted to the initiative of establishing Grandfathers Day, came from the money, which Frank Izquierdo inherited from his grandfather. Grandfather's Day is with us for 14 years now. The festival is regularly described by the media, mainly in local newspapers. It has its old-fashioned media presence.
What is the best present for grandfather?
It may come to us as a surprise, but the presents, which are being promoted in France in connection with celebrations, are mostly solid and practical. So are grandparents, one may say. Things promoted are connected with the possible hobbies of the old gentlemen. Some of them may like gardening, so there are tools available. Others may like to cook. For them are personalized kitchen paraphernalia, cookbooks and notebooks especially for writing down recipes. Things, which are offered for sale, include also those manufactured today, which are normally out of use because the times changed. An example of it are old telephones, advertised as a perfect gift for the senior.
Creative presents for grandfathers
There are also lots of creative ideas on the internet, which are specially dedicated to the people, who would like to do something special for their beloved grandfather. Firstly, there are special wishes and poems, which may be sent to a grandpa. Secondly, there are lots of ideas regarding what to make with own hands. One may make, for example, flowers out of paper, candle holders from salt dough, and various kinds of cards. There are instructions available on sites regarding how to do such things. Interestingly, amongst the products promoted for the occasion, there are also colouring books specifically... for grandfathers. They depict none else but... grandfathers. One can print such a book from the internet and hand it out to grandpa as a present. Or to give him a diploma, which reads "for the best grandfather". This also can be printed directly from the site. Generally speaking, Grandfathers Day is not that commercialized, yet it is celebrated. The gifts are as grandfathers themselves: practical, old-fashioned, and cool. Lots of the gifts are quite cheap, yet the aim of giving them is not to impress by the monetary value, but by that which comes from the heart.