The relationship between a mother and her children is the sweetest and purest form of love. Mother’s Day is marked every year to celebrate this bond and highlight the contribution of all mothers around the world. This year, Mother’s Day will be celebrated on May 12 in India.
Why Mother's Day Is Celebrated on May 12?
Mother’s Day is observed in more than 50 countries across the world but not on the same date. In India and the US, the day is marked on the second Sunday of May. Hence, Mother’s Day falls on May 12 this year. People in the UK celebrate Mother’s Day in the month of March. It falls three weeks before Easter or on the fourth Sunday of the Christian festival of Lent.
The origin of Mother’s Day can be traced back to the early 1900s when the US dedicated a day to mothers. An American woman named Anna Jarvis wanted to honour her mother after she died in 1905 and decided to set aside a day for all mothers. Later, the woman formally celebrated the day for the first time in May 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia.
The day became popular after which Anna and her friends urged prominent personalities in the US to declare Mother’s Day a national holiday. Within a few years, the day was celebrated in every state of the US.
In 1914, then US President Woodrow Wilson announced that the second Sunday of May be celebrated as Mother’s Day. Gradually, the idea spread to other countries.
Why is Mother's Day celebrated on different dates in the US, UK, Australia and Mexico?
Different dates to celebrate Mother’s Day in the US, UK, Australia and Mexico are tied to some religious connotations and orders from the past governments of these countries.
Mother’s Day in the UK
In the UK, Mother’s Day is marked on the fourth Sunday of the Christian festival of Lent to pay gratitude to all the doting mothers across the world. Traditionally, it is a day when Christians were encouraged to visit their “mother church.” Nowadays, the day is recognized as a sign of family reunions, especially for the children who stay away from home to come and greet their mothers. However, now the style of celebration of Mother’s Day in the UK walks on the footprints of the US’ Mother’s Day style of celebration and bombarding mothers with hampers, flowers, and gifts has become a trend.
Mother’s Day in the US
US’ Mother’s Day is not associated with any religious background, instead, it came into existence in 1914 only after a campaign was launched by Anna Jarvis, an American woman whose mother died in May. Then President Wilson established the foundation of Mother’s Day in America after making the announcement that it will be held every year on the second Sunday of May and indicated it as a “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” However, the commercialisation of the holiday and fading of the sentiments related to it have caused worry for Jarvis and at a point, she wished to drop the idea of Mother’s Day. Australia and many other nations also observe the day on the same date as the US.
Mexico’s Mother’s Day
May 10 is the fixed date of Mother’s Day in Mexico. In 1922, Rafael Alducin, a newspaper editor, wrote an article on the benefits of Mother’s Day celebrations in one of the columns of Mexico City’s newspaper El Excelsior. The article received support from the media and Catholic Church asked Mexicans to choose a date on their own and the final date came out to be 10 May.
International Mother’s Day 2024: Different Dates In Different Countries
Celebrate Mother’s Day around the World, by sending flowers from our special range of flowers for delivery on Mother’s Day on the following dates:
- US – May 12
- India – May 12
- Australia – May 12
- Ireland – March 10
- France – May 26
- Spain – May 5
- Italy – May 12
- Portugal – May 5
- Middle East – March 21
- Hungary – May 5
- Germany – May 12
- Austria – May 12
- Switzerland – May 12
- Greece and Cyprus – May 12
Mother’s Day 2024: FAQs
When is Mother’s Day in India?
Tuesday, May 12, 2024
When is Mother’s Day in UK
March 19, 2024
When is Mother’s Day in Australia and the USA?
Yes. Every year on the second Sunday of May.
A mother’s love for her children is unconditional and pure. Mothers play different roles in the lives of their children and make numerous sacrifices to provide them with everything they need. Mother’s Day serves as an opportunity to recognise the efforts that our mothers put in to make sure that we always excel.
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