International history and tradition[edit]
Mother's Day in the Netherlands in 1925
Northern Pacific Railway postcard for Mother's Day 1916.
Mother's Day ift in 2!!"
Mother and da#hter and Mother's Day card
$n %ost co#ntries& Mother's Day is a recent o'ser(ance deri(ed fro% the holiday as it has e(ol(ed in
the )nited *tates. +s adopted 'y other co#ntries and c#lt#res& the holiday has different %eanins& is
associated with different e(ents ,reliio#s& historical or leendary-& and is cele'rated on different
dates.
$n so%e cases& co#ntries already had e.istin cele'rations honorin %otherhood& and their
cele'rations then adopted se(eral e.ternal characteristics fro% the )* holiday& s#ch as i(in
carnations and other presents to one's %other.
/he e.tent of the cele'rations (aries reatly. $n so%e co#ntries& it is potentially offensi(e to one's
%other not to %ar0 Mother's Day. $n others& it is a little10nown festi(al cele'rated %ainly 'y
i%%irants& or co(ered 'y the %edia as a taste of forein c#lt#re.
[citation needed]
Religion[edit]
$n the Ro%an 2atholic 2h#rch& the holiday is stronly associated with re(erin the 3irin Mary.
[42]
$n
so%e 2atholic ho%es& fa%ilies ha(e a special shrine de(oted to the5lessed 3irin Mary. $n %any
6astern 2atholic and 6astern 7rthodo. 2h#rches& a special prayer ser(ice is held in honor of
the /heoto0os 3irin Mary.
$n 8ind# tradition Mother's Day is called 9Mata /irtha +#nshi9 or 9Mother Pilri%ae fortniht9& and is
cele'rated in co#ntries with a 8ind# pop#lation& especially in Nepal. /he holiday is o'ser(ed on the
new %oon day in the %onth of 5aisa0h& i.e.& +pril:May. /his cele'ration is 'ased on 8ind# reliion
and it pre1dates the creation of the )*1inspired cele'ration 'y at least a few cent#ries.
[citation needed]
By country (AG)[edit]
Arab world[edit]
Mother's Day in %ost +ra' co#ntries is cele'rated on 21 March& the first day of sprin in the northern
he%isphere. $t was introd#ced in 6ypt 'y ;o#rnalist M#stafa +%in
[44]
in his 'oo0Smiling
America ,19<4-. /he idea was o(erloo0ed at the ti%e. =ater +%in heard the story of a widowed
%other who de(oted her whole life to raisin her son #ntil he 'eca%e a doctor. /he son then %arried
and left witho#t showin any ratit#de to his %other. 8earin this& +%in 'eca%e %oti(ated to
pro%ote 9Mother's Day9. /he idea was first ridic#led 'y president >a%al +'del Nasser
[citation needed]
'#t
he e(ent#ally accepted it and Mother's Day was first cele'rated on 21 March 1956
[citation needed]
. /he
practice has since 'een copied 'y other +ra' co#ntries.
?hen M#stafa +%in was arrested and i%prisoned& there were atte%pts to chane the na%e of the
holiday fro% 9Mother's Day9 to 9@a%ily Day9 as the o(ern%ent wished to pre(ent the occasion fro%
re%indin people of its fo#nder
[citation needed]
. /hese atte%pts were #ns#ccessf#l and cele'rations
contin#ed to 'e held on that dayA classic sons cele'ratin %others re%ain fa%o#s to this day.
Afghanistan[edit]
$n +fhanistan& Mother's Day was cele'rated on 12 B#ne 2!1!& on the second *at#rday in B#ne.
[citation
needed]
Argentina[edit]
$n +rentina& Mother's Day is cele'rated on the third *#nday of 7cto'er. /he holiday was oriinally
cele'rated on 11 7cto'er& the old lit#rical date for the cele'ration of theMaternity of the 5lessed
3irin Mary '#t after the *econd 3atican 2o#ncil& which %o(ed the 3irin Mary festi(ity to 1
Ban#ary& the Mother's Day started to 'e cele'rated the third *#nday of 7cto'er 'eca#se of pop#lar
tradition.
[2"]
+rentina is the only co#ntry in the world that cele'rates Mother's Day in this date. $n 1" 7cto'er
2!1! >oole %ade a >oole doodle e.cl#si(ely to cele'rate the +rentinian Mother's Day& and
p#'lished it only in oole.co%.ar ,>oole's we'site for +rentina-.
[4<]
Armenia[edit]
$n +r%enia& Mother's Day is cele'rated on " +pril ,Maternity and 5ea#ty Day-.
Australia[edit]
$n +#stralia& Mother's Day is cele'rated on the second *#nday in May.
/he tradition of i(in ifts to %others on Mother's Day in +#stralia was started 'y Mrs Banet
8eyden&
[45]
a resident of =eichhardt& *ydney& in 192<. *he 'ean the tradition d#rin a (isit to a
patient at the Newinton *tate 8o%e for ?o%en& where she %et %any lonely and forotten
%others. /o cheer the% #p& she ro#nded #p s#pport fro% local school children and '#sinesses to
donate and 'rin ifts to the wo%en. 6(ery year thereafter& Mrs 8eyden raised increasin s#pport
for the pro;ect fro% local '#sinesses and e(en the local Mayor. /he day has since 'eco%e
co%%ercialised. /raditionally& the chrysanthe%#% is i(en to %others for Mother's Day as the flower
is nat#rally in season d#rin May ,a#t#%n in +#stralia- and ends in 9%#%9& a co%%on affectionate
shortenin of 9%other9 in +#stralia.
[citation needed]
Men will often wear a chrysanthe%#% in their lapels in
honor of %others.
[citation needed]
Bangladesh[edit]
$n 5anladesh& Mother's Day is cele'rated on the second *#nday of the %onth of May. $n
o'ser(ance of the day disc#ssion prora%s are oraniCed 'y o(ern%ent and non1o(ern%ental
oraniCations. Reception prora%s and c#lt#ral prora%s are oraniCed to %ar0 the day in the
capital city. /ele(ision channels air special prora%s& and newspapers p#'lish special feat#res and
col#%ns to %ar0 the day. >reetin cards& flowers and ifts feat#rin %others are in hih de%and at
the shops and %ar0ets.
Belarus[edit]
5elar#s cele'rates Mother's Day in 1< 7cto'er. =i0e other e.12o%%#nist rep#'lics& 5elar#s #sed to
cele'rate only the $nternational ?o%en Day in D March. Mother's Day in 5elar#s was officially
esta'lished 'y the 5elar#s o(ern%ent& and it was cele'rated for the first ti%e in 1996.
[16]
/he
cele'ration of the 3irin Mary ,the holiday of Protection of the 8oly Mother of >od- is cele'rated in
the sa%e day.
[46]
Belgium[edit]
$n 5eli#%& Mother's Day ,Moederdag or Moederkesdag in D#tch and Fte des Mres in @rench- is
cele'rated on the second *#nday of May. $n the wee0 'efore this holiday children %a0e little
presents at pri%ary school& which they i(e to their %others in the early %ornin of Mother's Day.
/ypically& the father will '#y croissants and other sweet 'reads and pastries and 'rin these to the
%other while she is still in 'ed E the 'einnin of a day of pa%perin for the %other. /here are also
%any people who cele'rate Mother's Day on 15 +##st insteadA these are %ostly people
aro#nd +ntwerp& who consider that day ,+ss#%ption- the classical Mother's Day and the o'ser(ance
in May an in(ention for co%%ercial reasons.
Bolivia[edit]
$n 5oli(ia& Mother's Day is cele'rated on 2" May. 6l Da de la Madre Boliviana was passed into law
on D No(e%'er 192"& d#rin the presidency of 8ernando *iles Reyes. /he date co%%e%orates
the 5attle of =a 2oronilla& which too0 place on 2" May 1D12& d#rin the 5oli(ian ?ar of
$ndependence& in what is now the city of 2ocha'a%'a. $n this 'attle& wo%en fihtin for the co#ntry's
independence were sla#htered 'y the *panish ar%y. $t is not a festi(e day& '#t all schools hold
acti(ities and festi(ities thro#ho#t the day.
[contradiction][14]
Brazil[edit]
$n 5raCil& Mother's Day is cele'rated on the second *#nday of May.
/he first Mother's Day in 5raCil was pro%oted 'y +ssociaFGo 2ristG de MoFos de Porto
+lere ,Ho#n Men's 2hristian +ssociation of Porto +lere- on 12 May 191D. $n 1942& then
President >etIlio 3aras %ade the second *#nday of May the official date for Mother's Day. $n
19<"& +rch'ishop Bai%e de 5arros 2J%ara& 2ardinal1+rch'ishop of Rio de Baneiro& decided that this
holiday wo#ld also 'e incl#ded in the official calendar of the 2atholic 2h#rch.
Mother's Day is not an official holiday ,see P#'lic holidays in 5raCil-& '#t it is widely o'ser(ed and
typically in(ol(es spendin ti%e with and i(in ifts to one's %other. 5eca#se of this& it is
considered one of the cele'rations %ost related to cons#%eris% in the co#ntry& second only
to 2hrist%as Day as the %ost co%%ercially l#crati(e holiday.
[4"]
Bulgaria[edit]
$n 5#laria& D March is associated with $nternational ?o%en's Day. /he holiday honors wo%en as
h#%an 'eins and eK#al partners.
+nother 5#larian holiday related to %aternity and the fa%ily is Babinden ,5#larian LMNOPQRP-&
cele'rated on D Ban#ary.
