Today Special : Husband Appreciation Day
More romantic than Father’s Day, more serious than National Boyfriend Day, and with less pressure than Valentine’s Day, Husband Appreciation Day is observed on the third Saturday in April. Also known as National Husband Day or World Husband Day, we love this little-known holiday dedicated to the men in our lives who show up for us in bold and subtle ways every day of the year. Its fun-loving spirit gives us lucky spouses an opportunity to be creative and thoughtful in how we show our appreciation to our partners.
Other days of the year to celebrate our partners are National Spouses Day on January 26, and Wife Appreciation Day on September 19.
HISTORY OF HUSBAND APPRECIATION DAY
Since the earliest recordings of marriage, husbands, across many cultural and religious traditions, have been established as the protectors and providers of their wives and families.
Certain religious traditions believe it is the husband’s role to provide physical or even spiritual protection to their wives. Such protection can extend to one wife for a lifetime or multiple wives at once. The role of husband has traditionally been one of honor with the man leading the household in financial and other family planning decisions.
Major culture shifts over the past three decades have changed how many of us see, feel, and practice marriage. Many marriages are seeing more equality between husbands and their wives with husbands taking on more domestic tasks like cooking, cleaning, and child care while wives take on full time jobs and bring in as much, if not more money than their husbands. Other couples have abandoned gender roles completely as new norms of secularism, spirituality, same sex marriage, and gender nonspecific identities become more interwoven into our cultural fabric. Through our ever evolving history one thing remains true: we love our hubbies.
HOW TO CELEBRATE HUSBAND APPRECIATION DAY 2021
- Make a gift : Fill a basket, box or other fun container with some of his favorite things. Get creative and give it some thought. Some of his favorite throwback candy from when he was a kid, tickets to watch his favorite sports team, and an assortment of his favorite craft beers is a great place to start.
- Do something he loves to do : Offer to join him in one of his favorite hobbies or pastimes. Even if it isn’t really your thing. It will make him feel good knowing his partner is taking an interest in something that means so much to him. If you and your hubby love all the same things then it’s a perfect time to try something new. Take an outdoor hike, try that new restaurant you’ve been talking about, go to an escape room, or throw some axes at a range.
- Get physical : Sensual touch isn’t just for the bedroom and you don’t have to go “all the way” to send the message to your spouse that you’re grateful for all he is and all he offers. Work in some extra hand holding, cuddles, kisses, even smiles and long gazes in his direction, as you move about your normal day. After all 80% of communication is nonverbal. So use what you’ve got to make it loud and clear you choosing him was one of the best choices you’ve ever made.
5 LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT HUSBANDS
- An “Old” Word : The word husband has Old English and Old Norse roots from the Middle Ages roughly translating to “a householder”.
- Protectors : In the early ages of marriage, husbands were expected to protect not only their wives and children, but the servants and livestock of their homes as well.
- Wedding Ring Optional : While most Western cultures have adopted the wedding ring as a symbol for marital status, husbands around the world have different markers – like beards for the Amish or a tallit of the Jewish faith – to show they are taken; and some, like Muslim husbands, are likely to not have any adornments at all.
- Husband For Sale : An uncommon practice once depicted in a work by French novelist François Billetdoux, husband selling is when a wife sells her husband to another woman; thereby solidifying her divorce from him and his new marriage.
- One Husband Is Plenty : While the practice of polygamy, one husband having more than one wife, can be seen in more than 400 societies around the world (monogamy is only seen in 186), polyandry, the practice of a wife having more than one husband, is far less common and seen in a little more than 50 societies world wide.
WHY WE LOVE HUSBAND APPRECIATION DAY
- Honoring tradition : Every culture has a slightly different take on the role of marriage and the responsibilities of a husband. We love looking back at all these traditions and finding the commonalities of love, family, and unity at the heart of them.
- A reason to celebrate : While our love for our husbands is felt everyday (for the most part) we don’t always have the opportunity to demonstrate that love in fun and creative ways. On this day we get to express our love in a unique way, and give our man the extra attention he deserves.
- A trip down memory lane : It can be nice to reminisce on all the plot twists that brought us to our marriage. We particularly love reliving some of our favorite memories cuddling with our husbands on the couch while looking at old photos.
