Miscellaneous Monday: What’s your favourite month of the year?

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

G'day Atlassian Community!

I’ve always had a soft spot for June. For me, it’s not just the beginning of the holiday season, it’s a month full of celebrations: my birthday, our wedding anniversary, and even a bunch of my friends’ birthdays. So let’s just say... June is party time for me! 🎉

But there’s another celebration in June that has recently become meaningful to me - Father’s Day. In my country, it’s a fairly new holiday, first officially celebrated in 2019 on the third Sunday of June. This year, it falls on the 15th.

I first discovered Father’s Day about 15 years ago during my stay in the U.S. I remember walking through stores filled with “gifts for dad” promotions and wondering why we didn’t celebrate it back home. I even called my parents to ask, “Why don’t we celebrate Father’s Day?”, and they hadn’t heard of it at all.

I’m really glad it’s gained recognition in Ukraine now, because dads deserve a day too, just like moms in May. 💙 

Curious as always, I dug into the history of this celebration. Surprisingly, it dates back nearly 4,000 years to Babylon, where a young boy named Elmesu carved a Father's Day message into clay, wishing his father good health and a long life. Though the tradition faded (if it actually was a tradition), it resurfaced in the early 20th century in the U.S. Sonora Smart Dodd, inspired by Mother's Day, proposed a day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised six children on his own. The idea caught on, and in 1972, Father’s Day was officially recognized as a national holiday.

Today, it’s celebrated across the globe, on different dates depending on the country. In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and some other European countries, it is celebrated on he 3rd Sunday of June. In Spain and Belgium, it’s marked on March 19; in Sweden, November; and in New Zealand, it falls on the first Sunday of September.

So now I’m wondering, what’s your favorite month of the year? Or if that’s too hard to choose, what’s your favorite celebration?

Happy Monday, Community - and have a great week ahead! 🌞

[Andy Gladstone]

@Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io thanks for this publish!

My favorite month of the year is October. I live in the Northeast United States and October begins with the trees all green and ends in them awash with color - reds, yellows, oranges and some browns. 

My wife and I enjoy nature hiking and biking (and can sometimes convince the kids to come with us) and the past few years we have taken time off from work to enjoy a day together during peak leaf peeping season. Sometimes it is a hike through a forest, sometimes mountain biking down trails that run along rivers and streams, but it is always calming and serene. 

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

@Andy Gladstone That sounds beautiful! Thanks for sharing such a vivid and calming picture of October 🍁🚴‍♂️ 

[Amanda Barber]

My birthday is in June, too. Back in my teaching days, it also meant the kickoff to my summer break. 🥳 I think June still ranks pretty high up there with the beginning of summer and beautiful weather in Wisconsin.

Happy birthday, @Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io! 

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

Thank you, @Amanda Barber , and Happy Birthday to you! 🎉 

June birthdays really do come with the bonus of sunshine and good vibes :) 

[Barbara Szczesniak]

@Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io Your story reminded me of when I lived in England and needed to buy a Mother's Day card when they were in stores in March so that I would have it to send to my mom in the US in May.

I'm not sure I have a favorite month—I think it has changed over the years based on my age and where I lived.

I think my favorite celebration is Christmas—not the shopping and cleaning stress, but the reason for Christmas, spending time with family, eating traditional foods, and time off work. 🎄

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

Yes, @Barbara Szczesniak , Christmas is special... best times with family :) 

[John Funk]

Like Andy, October is my favorite month of the year. Fall is the best time in the in US - glad to be back to experience the seasons again and see the trees change colors. 

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

@John Funk October is magical... Glad you're getting to enjoy it again! :) 

[Jimmy Seddon]

Happy Birthday @Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io!  Great question, personally my birth month is also my favorite, which is August!

Growing up two of my good friends and I all have birthdays on consecutive days.  As we grew up it was always fun to have a multi-day birthday party and since it always took place in the summer, we never had to worry about what days they took place on as there was no school.

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

Thank you, @Jimmy Seddon a multi-day birthday celebration is a fun tradition :) 

When I was a kid, my next-door neighbor and I shared the same birthday. To avoid any competition over inviting our mutual friends, we always celebrated together. Just a few days before, our parents would meet to plan everything — whether the party would be at our place or theirs, and how we’d celebrate. Hopefully, it is always hot in June :)

[Jimmy Seddon]

That's awesome!  Nothing better than getting to have a large celebration.

[Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM]

I'll have to go with October as well.  Love the fall weather and Halloween.