Father’s Day in Brazil

Hi, everyone! Are you ready to learn something new about our amazing country in today’s free Portuguese lesson? Let’s jump right into it! Today’s Dica is about a very special holiday: Father’s Day in Brazil. On this day, we celebrate the man who raised us. Do you have this holiday in your own country? If so, when is it celebrated? Do you know how to say ”Happy Father’s Day” in Brazilian Portuguese?

Why Do We Celebrate Father’s Day in Brazil?

Father’s Day in Brazil is, like in many other countries, a special day to acknowledge all the sacrifices our fathers make for us. On this day, the fathers are greeted with tributes and gifts from their children (not only young children, for fathers, we are children forever, right?).

Brazil is a country where you can find many sons who have the same name as their father. So they use “Junior” or “Filho” at the end of the name. If they are the third generation with the same name, they use ‘Neto’ (meaning grandson). This is a common way to honor the previous generation.

How Do We Celebrate It?

Father figures need appreciation too! They are very important to our society and deserve to be respected and complimented for their efforts. This day is important because it emphasizes the importance of fatherhood and allows us to explore the essence of fatherhood as well. For this reason, we have a couple of ways to celebrate and enjoy Sunday with our fathers.

For instance, at schools there are events dedicated to the fathers where little kids deliver letters they have written to thank them for everything they have done. To give a thoughtful gift, kids usually get help from their mothers to find something the father will like. Among the most common presents given on Father’s Day in Brazil are perfumes and clothes.

Some schools organize recitals where you can see these cute little kids dancing and singing heartfelt songs to say how they love their fathers. These events usually happen on Friday, the last day of school before the actual Father’s Day.

On Sunday families gather to enjoy a special lunch with the patriarch. This is a day to celebrate with the WHOLE family! If your father prefers to go out and have fun, everyone should accompany him to where he would like to spend his special day.

The Origin of Father’s Day in Brazil

In Brazil, this holiday was created with the intention to honor Saint Joachim, in the Bible, Mary’s father and patron of fathers and grandfathers in Catholic traditions. The first time the Father’s Day was celebrated in Brazil was in 1953. This year, the holiday took place on August 16th. It began as an official celebration in Rio de Janeiro, then it became a national holiday.

Also, it’s different from some of the countries that had already been celebrating. In Brazil, Father’s Day was not created only to pay a simple homage between families, it was indeed created with a commercial intent. This idea of implanting a holiday in Brazil to celebrate the fathers was from the acame from Sylvio Bhering, an adman, who at the time was the director of one of the most important newspapers in Brazil. His intention was to unite both social and commercial matters. At first he wanted to use the day that is dedicated to praise São Joaquim, August 16th, because most of the Brazilian population was catholic. But to make it work better in our calendar, it was changed to how it is now.

When is Father’s Day in Brazil?

Father’s Day in Brazil is celebrated exactly three months after Mother’s Day (second Sunday of May). So you can count the weeks or just look for a calendar that has the dates already calculated. To make your job easier, here we have some of the dates from past years and the ones that are coming. Here are the upcoming dates of Father’s Day until 2030:

Year	Day
2025	August 10th
2026	August 9th
2027	August 8th
2028	August 13th
2029	August 12th
2030	August 11th

Since it is on a weekend, Father’s Day in Brazil is not an official holiday, it is considered a secondary holiday. Official holidays are those which require legislation in the city, state or at the federal level to establish that on that day people can or cannot have a day off work and businesses use different work hours in order to enjoy the celebrations.  Unfortunately there are people that do work on weekends, right? So, some people don’t have a day off work to have lunch with their children or, if they are the children, to visit their fathers.

How to Say “Dad” in Portuguese 👨‍👧

If you’re celebrating Father’s Day in Brazil, you might be wondering how to say father in Portuguese, or what the difference is between ‘dad’ and ‘daddy’ in Portuguese.

The most common word is pai, but Brazilians have many ways to refer to their father, depending on age and affection. Here’s a quick breakdown where you can also hear the pronunciation:

Portuguese Term	Audio	English Equivalent	Context / Notes
pai		father / dad	Neutral and standard. The most common word.
paizão		big dad	Very affectionate, used informally with warmth.
papai		daddy	Sweet and tender. Common among children.
papaizinho		little daddy	Extra affectionate and cute, like saying “daddy-poo”! 😄

How to Say Happy Father’s Day in Portuguese

If you are wondering how you say ”Happy Father’s Day” in Portuguese, don’t worry! Listen to the audio below and try it yourself:

Feliz Dia dos Pais

On Sunday, children often wish their fathers a Feliz Dia dos Pais. On that day, you might also see another peculiar habit: if people know you’re a dad, they’ll probably wish you a Feliz Dia dos Pais as well. So, if you are in Brazil, be prepared that even total strangers can wish you a Happy Father’s Day in Portuguese!

And of course, we also celebrate our children around here in another special date. Check our Dica on Children’s Day in Brazil to learn more.

Conclusion: Father’s Day is Important!

Dia dos Pais, Dia do Papai, all these ways to say they deserve a day to be praised. This way we can create stronger family bonds and make sure we give these people something to thank them for all they do for us. Now tell us: Do you celebrate Father’s Day in your country? When is it celebrated? Do you have different traditions? Do not miss your chance of surprising your father with a nice present this year! It’s so good to see the joy in their eyes, isn’t it?

Now you know how to say Happy Father’s Day in Brazilian Portuguese, how we celebrate and even the story behind it! Are you interested in learning more about Brazilian holidays and traditions? Come learn with us in person here in Brazil on a student visa! Our school has the best location, right next to Copacabana Beach.

Stay tuned for our next Dica do Dia! 

Happy Father’s Day! <3

Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Brazil Holidays
Family in Portuguese
Mother’s Day in Brazil