The Origins of Mother’s Day

The beginning of the modern Mother’s Day Holiday can be traced back over a hundred years ago to 1905 when a woman by the name of Ann Reeves Jarvis passed away. Soon after, her daughter Anna Jarvis passionately launched a campaign to dedicate an official holiday to celebrate mothers. The first modern Mother’s Day celebration was held in 1907 at a church in Grafton, West Virginia where Anna Jarvis arranged for a memorial to be held for her beloved mother. Nearly a year later, in 1908 US Congress would reject a proposal to make Mother’s Day an official holiday. However, by 1911, all US States had begun to recognize the holiday, in large part due to the commitment and efforts of Anna Jarvis. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the holiday official by signing a bill designating the second Sunday in May as a legal holiday to be known as “Mother’s Day”.  

Controversy

Commercialization was never the idea Anna Jarvis had in mind for Mother’s Day. In fact, due to this, Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether by the time of her death in 1948. She launched a counter-campaign against those she felt were profiteering from the holiday. She spoke out against florists, confectioners, and even charities to urge people to stop purchasing Mother’s Day flowers, cards, and candies due to the company’s handling of the holiday. While other holidays from the same period such as Children’s Day or Temperance Sunday faded into history, commercialization aided in Mother’s Day becoming a significant holiday. Today, Americans spend around $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on gifts like spa treatments, and nearly $68 million on greeting cards.  

How Mother’s Day is Celebrated in the US

In the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother’s Day is widely considered to be the busiest day of the year for restaurants, as most Americans treat their mother to a family lunch or dinner out at their favorite restaurant. It is also very common to choose a heartfelt greeting card on Mother’s Day to help put how we truly feel about her into words. Many children will surprise their mothers with breakfast in bed and with sweet homemade gifts. It is a day to celebrate the incredible mother’s in our lives. Everyone celebrates Mother’s Day a little differently, it all depends on your relationship and what your mother enjoys!  

Mother’s Day Around the World

Other cultures around the world celebrate Mother’s Day a little differently, some even on different days of the year. For example, in Russia, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in November each year. Russians celebrate Mother’s Day with festivals and performances all over the country and shower their mothers with gifts.  

Another great example is Mexico. Mexico celebrates Mother’s Day on May 10th every year and they go all out for mom! Celebrations shut down the entire country and everyone honors their mother in the best way they can. Mother’s Day lunches in Mexico are known to take over 5-hours!

Other countries celebrate in their special way and on predetermined dates, we have provided some additional information below: 

Norway: Second Sunday in February – February 14th, 2021

Georgia: Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021

Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, and Spain: Sunday, May 2nd, 2021

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, India, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA, Ukraine, Venezuela: Second Sunday in May – May 9th, 2021

Mexico: May 10th, 2021

Poland: Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Dominican Republic, France, and Sweden: Last Sunday in May – May 30th, 2021

Luxembourg: Second Sunday in June – June 13th, 2021

Thailand: Thursday, August 12, 2021

Argentina: Third Sunday in October, October 17th, 2021

Russia: Last Sunday in November – November 28th, 2021 – International Women’s Day

In conclusion, Mother’s Day is a day dedicated to mothers everywhere, so that we can show the mom’s in our lives how truly amazing they are. It doesn’t matter if you celebrate in the US on May 9th or in Russia on the last Sunday in November, as long as you take the time to show your mom how you feel about her and make her feel extra special on this next Mother’s Day!  

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