ZIMBABWEANS celebrated Father’s Day yesterday, with some men saying they were appreciated as much as they expected.

But some men said while they appreciated their mothers and spouses on International Women’s Day, the same was not being been replicated on Father’s Day.

Others said they had been pampered with gifts by children and spouses in honour of the roles they play in families and communities.

In some parts of Harare, couples could be seen at hangout joints having lunch, while some women could be seen buying flowers and others were in clothing stores buying surprise gifts for their partners, with some saying they were planning to have dinner at various places they do not regularly visit.

In interviews, some women said Father’s Day was not about celebrating men only, but also single women and widows who were playing the dual roles of being a father figure and a mother to their children.

They said the fatherly figure was not exhibited by being male, but by the way males fend for their families and responsible parenting of children.

On the other hand, men said they wanted their spouses to surprise them with unique gifts such as flowers, and not clothes and shoes.

Mr Kimpton Mushamba of Goromonzi said: “The problem is that we are not recognised in terms of flowers. Women think we must receive clothes, cook good food for us and buy tools for work as gifts, but we actually love flowers. They think flowers are only for them, but as men we also love flowers because they symbolise true love.”

Mr Mushamba said he was going to celebrate the day with his family in Goromonzi and was expecting a special treat from his wife.

Mr Phineas Simbini of Ruwa said he was happy to spend Father’s Day with his last born daughter, who is the only girl child he has.

“I was supposed to go to Mutare, but today I decided to spend some time with my daughter and my wife, going to different places of interest,” he said. “I am happy to spend this day with my family.”

Mrs Nokuthula Mapfumo, also from Ruwa, said she had prepared a special gift for her husband.

“I would like to thank God for giving me a good husband,” she said. “It is amazing to feel loved and have an understanding husband and today I have a surprise gift for him which I am going to give him when we get home.”

Mrs Barbra Mukonowatsauka from Glenview 7 said: “I want to urge other women not only to buy gifts as a surprise because it is not only about gifts. You can surprise your husband by buying flowers, changing the set-up of property in the house and cooking traditional food which he does not eat every day. It is also another way of celebrating Father’s Day.”

Air Zimbabwe surprised its male passengers yesterday with comfort kits, in honour of Father’s Day.

The airline spokesperson Ms Firstme Vitori told The Herald that all fathers on board their flights were given “small little gifts as a form of appreciation for their support over the years”.

“We took some time today the 19th of June 2022, being Father’s Day, just to interact and appreciate our valued passengers as part of our stakeholder engagement activities,” she said.

“We had an all-male crew on board led by Captain Regis Ruzungunde as the Pilot in Command, as we shared gifts with all the fathers and young men (future fathers) on board on our domestic triangle (HRE/VFA/BUQ/HRE) as well as on the HRE/JNB/HRE flight.

“This was just an appreciation of the role that fathers play in raising and leading families and what an exciting time we had on board, making good on our service promise of Zimbabwean Hospitality In The Skies.” said Ms Vitori.

Mr Joseph Chiwanda from Epworth said he was unaware that Father’s Day existed and to him, it was business as usual.

“I did not know that there is Father’s Day, so I do not know if my family is planning something for me,” he said.

Father’s Day was founded by an American, Sonora Smart Dodd, and celebrated on the third Sunday of June for the first time in 1910.

The day honours fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. Herald.