Editing Father's Day (section)

===Germany===
[[Image:Hiking tour on father's day.JPG|thumb|Hiking tour on Father's Day with smaller wagons.]]

In Germany, Father's Day (''Vatertag'') is celebrated differently from other parts of the world, as it is celebrated on [[Ascension Day]] (the Thursday forty days after Easter), which is a federal holiday. Regionally, it is also called gentlemen's day, ''Herrentag'' or Männertag (men's day). It is a tradition for groups of males (young and old but usually excluding pre-teenage boys) to do a hiking tour with one or more smaller wagons, ''[[:de:Bollerwagen|Bollerwagen]]'', pulled by manpower. In the wagons are wine or beer bottles (according to the region) and traditional regional food, ''[[:de:Hausmannskost|Hausmannskost]]''. Many men use this holiday as an opportunity to get [[Alcohol intoxication|drunk]].<ref name="urge">{{Cite news| title = German Minister Urges Fathers Not to Get Drunk on Father's Day! | author=Agence France-Presse | url = http://www.medindia.net/news/German-Minister-Urges-Fathers-Not-to-Get-Drunk-on-Fathers-Day-36153-1.htm}}</ref> According to the [[Federal Statistical Office of Germany]], alcohol-related traffic accidents triple on this day.<ref>{{citation |title= Der Tag der gefragten Väter |date= 9 June 2013 |language= de |work= [[Tiroler Tageszeitung]] |url= http://www.tt.com/Tirol/6673231-2/der-tag-der-gefragten-väter.csp |quote= Bei unseren deutschen Nachbarn ist der Vatertag – der dort zu Christi Himmelfahrt gefeiert wird – nicht von Ausflügen mit der Familie oder kleinen Geschenken der Kinder gekennzeichnet, sondern von einer Lokaltour in feucht-fröhlicher Männerrunde. Laut dem Statistischen Bundesamt gibt es an diesem Tag auch durchschnittlich dreimal so viele durch Alkohol bedingte Verkehrsunfälle als an anderen Tagen. |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 14 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170314202501/http://www.tt.com/Tirol/6673231-2/der-tag-der-gefragten-v%C3%A4ter.csp |url-status= dead }}</ref> The tradition of Father's Day is especially prevalent in [[Eastern Germany]].<ref name="urge" />

These traditions are probably rooted in [[Christian faith|Christian]] Ascension Day's [[procession]]s to the farmlands, which has been celebrated since the 18th century.<ref name="spiegel2006">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/booze-brothers-father-s-day-debauchery-in-deutschland-a-414461.html|title=Booze Brothers: Father's Day Debauchery in Deutschland|magazine=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel]]|date= 4 May 2006 |access-date=16 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="stern">{{Cite news|url=http://www.stern.de/panorama/vatertag-an-christi-himmelfahrt-von-modischen-herrenpartien-und-der-erhoehung-jesu-1565801.html|title= Von modischen Herrenpartien und der Erhöhung Jesu |date=12 May 2010|publisher=Der Stern|language=de|access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> Men would be seated in a wooden cart and carried to the village's plaza, and the mayor would award a prize to the father who had the most children, usually with a big piece of ham.<ref name="spiegel2006" /> In the late 19th century the religious component was progressively lost, especially in urban areas such as Berlin, and groups of men organized walking excursions with beer and ham.<ref name="spiegel2006" /> By the 20th century, alcohol consumption had become a major part of the tradition.<ref name="spiegel2006" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Pints for Papa: Father's Day in Germany Is One Big Booze Fest|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/father-s-day-in-germany-is-one-big-booze-fest-a-833802.html|access-date=15 June 2014|agency=Spiegel}}</ref> Many people will take the following Friday off work, and some schools are closed on that Friday as well; many people then use the resulting four-day-long weekend for a short vacation.