Mother’s Day Around the World

You're probably familiar with the Mother's Day celebrations in your own country but what about Mother's Day around the world? In this blog post we will find out if Mother's Day is a worldwide event, how many countries celebrate and when Mother's Day is held in different countries. We’ve also included a helpful table where you can search for Mother's Day dates in countries all over the world. 

Read on for all you need to know about Mother's Day celebrations around the world.

Is Mother’s Day a worldwide thing?

Mother’s Day is celebrated all over the world, not just here in the UK. The worldwide celebration is a day to honour and champion mothers, motherhood and maternal figures with cards, gifts, family gatherings and tributes. However, while Mother’s Day is a worldwide thing it is not celebrated on the same day in every country. Mother’s Day is celebrated across the world on different days throughout the calendar year, most commonly in March or May.

Why is Mother’s Day different in different countries?

So why is Mother’s Day different in different countries?  There are many factors which determine the date of Mother’s Day in different countries, including historical, religious and political reasons. Like so many celebrations, traditions vary from country to country due to their own set of cultural customs.

The most common reason for the difference in dates comes down to whether the country’s celebrations stem from the American “Mother’s Day” or British “Mothering Sunday”. While the two sound very similar there are a number of differences between Mother’s Day and Mothering Sunday.

Mothering Sunday (the British tradition) can be traced back to the 16th Century in England, where Christians would return to their hometowns on the fourth Sunday of Lent and attend their “Mother Church” as part of Easter celebrations. This tradition continued throughout the Middle Ages and later became a day where young servants would be given paid leave to visit their mothers. Although in modern times Mothering Sunday (or Mother’s Day, as it is now commonly called) has become a much more secular and commercialised occasion in the UK, its roots are in Christianity and as such, the date is always held in March, three weeks before Easter.

In America, however, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in tribute to the mother of its founder, Anna Jarvis. Anna Jarvis founded modern Mother’s Day in the USA in 1907 and it became officially recognised as a date in the American calendar in 1914. In the years since, many other countries have followed suit and now almost 100 countries also celebrate Mother’s Day on May’s second Sunday.

How many countries recognise Mother’s Day?

Currently Mother’s Day is celebrated in over 150 countries worldwide at different points throughout the year. As already mentioned, there is not one internationally agreed date that Mother’s Day falls on, it is celebrated on different days throughout the year. We will explore the global Mother’s Day dates in more detail in our next section.

When is Mother's Day celebrated around the world?