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■香港的父親節是每年6月第3個星期日，子女可藉機親親爸爸表達愛意。 資料圖片
Even though we often say we live in a patriarchal （pronounced 'pay-tree-AH-koll） society（= a society ruled and controlled by men, with the males exercising most power and having most importance）, it's a bit strange and the other way round when it comes to parenthood, don't you think? What is the most famous Chinese song in praise of parents? It's called All Over the World, Only Moms Are Good. How about the dads then? Fortunately, we still have Father's Day.
A day for fathers
However, did you know how Father's Day came about in the first place? It was mainly because of Mother's Day. The first observance （= celebration） of Mother's Day, the modern form of which originated in the USA, was in 1907. In the same year, as well as two or three years later, people independently began to celebrate Father's Day, being inspired （= encouraged to do something good） by Mother's Day.
Last month, we learnt that this special day for mothers should be called 'Mother's Day', rather than 'Mothers' Day', in order to emphasize that each child is to honour his or her own mother, rather than we humans collectively （= as a group） honour all mothers. How about the day for fathers then? Should it be called 'Father's Day' or 'Fathers' Day'? Though in the original petition （= a formal appeal or request） for this day to be a holiday, the plural form （ie, 'Fathers' Day'） was used, it seems the singular form, 'Father's Day', is more commonly used nowadays.
About a daddy
There is a very famous, funny and touching children's novel whose name contains the word 'Daddy'. Do you know which book we're talking about? It's Daddy-Long-Legs, by the American female writer Jean Webster （1876-1916）, whose real name was Alice Jane Chandler Webster. Interestingly, the 'Daddy' in the story is not anybody's father, but just a man.
Why 'Daddy', then? Because 'Daddy' is just a common word that some people use to address （= to use a particular name or title for somebody when talking or writing to him / her） another older male person, just when we say 'Uncle'.
Letters to Long Legs
The protagonist（= the main character） of the story was an orphan（= a child who has no parents, or whose parents are dead） called Jerusha Abbott, who had lived in an orphanage（= a home for orphans） since a little child. When she finished high school, a rich gentleman decided to sponsor（= provide money to support） her to pursue（= try to achieve a goal） her college studies, and the only requirement she had to fulfil was to write a monthly letter to her benefactor （= the person who sponsors somebody）. But why was he called 'Daddy-Long-Legs'? Because it was the only （and first） impression Jerusha had of him - and mostly just his shadow: "The shadow pictured grotesquely （= in a strange way） elongated （= long and thin） legs and arms that ran along the floor and up the wall of the corridor. It looked, for all the world（= exactly）, like a huge, wavering （= moving in an unsteady way） daddy-long-legs."
This novel, which mainly consists of Jerusha's letters to her Daddy-Long-Legs, is very entertaining indeed, and you won't regret reading it.
Questions
1. What is the shorter form for 'daddy'?
2. We can also call our fathers by the name 'p_p_'?
3. What other kind of person can we address as 'Father'?
Answers
1. dad, 2. papa, 3. a Catholic priest.
■MT Ness
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