What Does Father's Day Look Like in India, and How Would You Celebrate It With a Curry?

Father's Day in the UK falls on the third Sunday of June, this year on 21st June, and most of us mark it the same way we always have. A card, maybe a gift, and a meal together if everyone can get the timing right. It is simple, familiar, and exactly the kind of low-key celebration that suits a British Sunday.

But step outside the UK and Father's Day starts to look like a surprisingly varied and, in places, genuinely unusual celebration. From feasts to footraces to beer-fuelled countryside walks, the way the world honours its dads says a lot about culture, history, and what different countries value most.

The Third Sunday of June, Mostly

As it turns out, Father's Day is one of the most globally synchronised holidays on the calendar. According to Mappr's mapping of Father's Day around the world, around 86 countries, including the UK, the US, Canada, India, Japan, and most of Africa, mark the day on the third Sunday of June. In the United States, where the modern holiday traces back to 1910 when Sonora Smart Dodd organised a church service to honour her father, a Civil War veteran and single parent, the day became an official holiday in 1972. As Remitly notes, the American celebration centres on family gatherings, food hot off the grill, and a favourite meal at home.

India follows the same date as the UK, the third Sunday of June, though the day is celebrated more informally there, often with a family meal, small gifts, and a general sense of appreciation rather than the more commercialised version seen elsewhere.

The Countries That Do It Differently

Not everywhere agrees on June, and the exceptions are where things get interesting.

In Italy, Spain, Portugal, and several other Catholic countries, Father's Day falls on 19th March, the Feast of Saint Joseph, honouring Joseph as the earthly father of Jesus and a model of fatherhood. As Hotels by Day describes it, Italian celebrations include street parades, bonfires, and feasts featuring dishes like lasagne, pizza, and zeppole, a fried pastry traditionally eaten on the day. In Spain, children spend the day doing activities their father enjoys and often deliver a short toast in his honour.

Germany takes an entirely different approach. Father's Day, known as Vatertag, falls on Ascension Day, 39 days after Easter, and is marked by groups of men pulling handcarts loaded with beer and snacks on long countryside walks. As one travel blog puts it, these hikes are loud, cheerful, and as much about male friendship and community as they are about fatherhood specifically.

The Nordic countries broke from the June convention entirely. Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Estonia all celebrate Fars Dag on the second Sunday of November, deliberately separating it from the American date.

Mexico's celebration is one of the most physically demanding in the world. Mexico City hosts the Carrera Día del Padre, a 21-kilometre footrace that brings fathers and families together for a shared athletic challenge, combining celebration with a genuine test of endurance.

In Nepal, the festival of Kushe Aunsi has deep roots in Hindu tradition. Falling in August or early September depending on the lunar calendar, it involves children performing prayers and seeking blessings from their fathers, and for those whose fathers have passed, visiting sacred sites to honour their memory. It is a celebration that holds space for both the living and those no longer here, which gives it a depth that many Western versions of the day do not quite reach.

What These Celebrations Have in Common

Strip away the dates and the rituals, and almost every version of Father's Day comes back to the same thing: gathering around food. Whether it is an Italian family sitting down to lasagne and zeppole, an American dad being handed a plate from the grill, or a German group sharing snacks from a handcart on a long walk, food is the constant. It is how families say thank you, how they spend time together, and how they mark the day as different from any other Sunday.

That is not a bad template to borrow.

How to Celebrate Father's Day Indian-style With a Curry

If your dad is the type who appreciates good food more than another tie or a box of chocolates, a proper sit-down meal at Madras Cafe is hard to beat. Here is how to build the occasion around it.

Start with something to share. A few curries in the middle of the table sets the tone for a relaxed, generous meal, the same spirit that runs through Father's Day meal traditions in India.

A Father's Day Curry calls for something rich and satisfying. Lamb Rogan Josh, slow-cooked and deeply spiced, or the Bombay Butter Chicken, has the kind of comforting richness that suits a celebratory family meal. If your dad likes bold, aromatic flavours, Chicken Chettinad brings real depth and a bit of theatre to the table.

Don't skip dessert. Sweet dishes carry genuine significance in food traditions around the world, often symbolising good wishes for the people being celebrated. Gulab Jamun is the obvious choice here, warm, syrup-soaked, and the perfect way to end the meal.

Make it a proper sit-down. With booths, round tables, and dedicated party tables, the new Madras Cafe at 120 Stockwell Street, Glasgow G1 4LW is built for exactly this kind of family gathering. Right on the Clyde, easy to get to, and with plenty of room for however many people want to come along and celebrate dad.

Father's Day is on Sunday 21st June this year. Wherever in the world the tradition comes from, the idea is the same everywhere: gather the people who matter, sit down together, and eat well. Book a table at Madras Cafe and do exactly that.