Aerial view of "Happy Mother's Day" and "love" in German on homemade cards

How countries around the world celebrate Mother's Day

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April 29, 2022
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How countries around the world celebrate Mother鈥檚 Day

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother鈥檚 Day, a holiday that was intended to celebrate 鈥渢he best mother in the world, your mother.鈥 Although he made it a federally recognized occasion, the 28th president didn鈥檛 come up with the idea for the holiday himself鈥攖hat honor lies primarily with Ann Reeves Jarvis and her daughter, Anna M. Jarvis.

During the Civil War in the mid-19th century, Ann Reeves Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, started several mothering groups aimed at teaching women how to raise a family and encourage their children to find peace with one another.

Following her mother鈥檚 death in 1905, Anna M. Jarvis began campaigning for a day to honor not only the impact her mother had on the local community, but also the impact mothers have on society at large. Following her urging, Anna Jarvis鈥 church in Grafton, West Virginia, held a service on the second Sunday in May 1908, honoring the mothers in the area. The idea took off, and soon churches and businesses all over the country were doing the same thing.

While the holiday started off as a simple way to acknowledge the unsung work so many mothers do, it quickly became commercialized as businesses realized they could capitalize on the love people have for their mothers. Today, it鈥檚 commonplace to give flowers, gifts, and cards to moms, and to take them out to restaurants that often create special Mother鈥檚 Day menus.

While Mother鈥檚 Day is now a holiday celebrated around the world, this commercialization, which Anna M. Jarvis reportedly hated, isn鈥檛 an essential piece of every culture鈥檚 festivities. To that end, compiled a list of Mother鈥檚 Day traditions across 10 countries鈥攊ncluding how to say 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 in that country. From cleaning graves of female ancestors to awarding medals to the most fertile women, read on to see how different places choose to celebrate the women who give us life.

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India

India celebrates its mothers in a 10-day festival called 鈥淒urga Puja.鈥 Taking place in the month of Ashvin, which falls roughly between September and October, the festival is both a religious and secular one, where participants celebrate the goddess Durga鈥檚 victory over the demon Mahishasur and hold their own family reunions.

The last five days of the festival honoring 鈥渢he mother goddess鈥 are the most important, and each is marked with specific rituals, feasts, gift-giving, and public processions. Durga Puja obviously celebrates the triumph of good over evil, but is also, in part, a harvest festival celebrating the necessity and power mothers have in life and creation.

In Hindi, the classic Happy Mother鈥檚 Day greeting is translated to 鈥.鈥

Small bundled up child walking in hand with her mother
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Poland

Since the early 1900s, Poland has celebrated Mother鈥檚 Day, or 鈥淒zie艅 Matki,鈥 on May 26 each year. While the holiday is not federally recognized like it is in the United States or the United Kingdom, it鈥檚 widely celebrated by the public. Most children make 鈥渓aurki鈥 for their mothers, which are homemade greeting cards decorated with hand-drawn images and notes.

Families celebrate much the same way as in the United States, with flowers, special meals, and small gifts. Polish Mother鈥檚 Day rose in popularity following World War II, at which point many schools began to mark the occasion.

In Polish 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淲szystkiego najlepszego w dniu matki.鈥

Newborn baby feet close up
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France

It is believed that Napoleon Bonaparte proposed France鈥檚 equivalent to Mother鈥檚 Day, 鈥,鈥 in 1806 as a way to encourage mothers to have more children. However, the holiday wasn鈥檛 popularly celebrated until 1890, and wasn鈥檛 formally recognized by the government until 1920 when the administration began handing out awards to women who had 鈥渟uccessfully raised several children.鈥

American soldiers stationed in France during World War I helped to bring many of the Mother鈥檚 Day traditions from the United States鈥攍ike flowers, cards, and gifts鈥攖o the European country, which celebrates its holiday on the last Sunday in May or the first Sunday in June. France often celebrates the holiday with extravagant meals, and restaurants book up weeks in advance.

In French, 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淏onne F锚te des M猫res.鈥

A girl walks with her mother at a mosque in Jakarta, Indon
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Indonesia

While most countries celebrate Mother鈥檚 Day in the springtime, Indonesia鈥檚 national celebration falls on Dec. 22. The holiday鈥檚 unique positioning can be attributed to the first congress of Indonesian women, which was held on that date in 1928.

Initially, the holiday commemorated the women鈥檚 movement, but eventually, in the late 鈥60s, the country shifted the occasion鈥檚 focus to just celebrating mothers. The Asian country has a number of unique traditions surrounding their celebrations, including washing a mother鈥檚 feet and participating in a number of competitions, from cooking to 鈥溾 wearing. Often, children are the participants while mothers judge, but occasionally both parties will engage in the games.

In Indonesian, 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淪elamat Hari Ibu.鈥

Back view close up of child on mothers chest
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Germany

Germany first formally observed Mother鈥檚 Day, or 鈥淢uttertag,鈥 in 1922, although the holiday鈥檚 roots can be traced back to a Medieval spring festival that celebrated the birth and new life the season brought. Centuries after that initial festival, during the years of Nazi rule in the country, the government used Mother鈥檚 Day as an opportunity to award bronze, silver, and gold Mutterkreuz medals to mothers who gave birth to four, six, or eight children, respectively. It is believed that in the six years these honors were given out鈥攂etween 1938 and 1944鈥攁lmost received a medal.

These days, the second Sunday in May is less politically charged, and families celebrate in more typically Western ways, by giving gifts, flowers, and cards to their moms. In German, 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淪ch枚nen Muttertag.鈥

An displaced mother sits next to and carries a child in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia

Unlike other countries on this list that celebrate mothers on a specific date, Ethiopia varies when its observance will take place each year. The African nation鈥檚 three-day-long , which is dedicated to its mothers, takes place at the end of the rainy season, typically sometime in the fall.

To celebrate, families come together to feast and tell the stories of their ancestors. Traditionally, the daughters bring fruits, veggies, or cheeses, while the sons provide the meats, and when both offerings are combined, they result in a delicious, traditional meal.

In Amharic, 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淢elikami ye鈥檌nati k鈥檈ni.鈥

Mother and three children in bed playing with glowing orb
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Mexico

Mothers have long been celebrated in Mexico, as demonstrated by ancient Indigenous civilizations, like the Mayans, who were largely matriarchal in structure and had pantheons filled with female goddesses. However, it wasn鈥檛 until 1922 that the country began recognizing Mother鈥檚 Day in any kind of formal manner.

Today, the holiday is each year, regardless of the day of the week. Typical celebrations include waking mom up with a song, showering her with gifts, and sitting down to an extended family feast.

In Spanish, 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淔eliz D铆a de la Madre.鈥

Side view of happy mother and child
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Peru

Another Latin American country, Peru celebrates its Mother鈥檚 Day on the second Sunday in May. The country is incredibly enthusiastic about the holiday, and, in recent years, has essentially turned it into a weeklong festival, with cities putting on events, schools running programs, and stores offering discounts and specials during the week leading up to the big day.

Much of the country鈥檚 celebration will feel familiar to Americans鈥攖here鈥檚 gift giving, card buying, and restaurant eating鈥攂ut there鈥檚 one tradition that is different. On Mother鈥檚 Day, families will visit the graves of their female ancestors, such as mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and great-grandmothers, to give them a deep clean and adorn with flowers. After honoring the dead, they鈥檒l to share a bite or a drink with members of their extended family.

In Peru, just like in Mexico, you wish someone a happy Mother鈥檚 Day by saying 鈥淔eliz D铆a de la Madre.鈥

Side view of woman playing with daughter
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Bolivia

On , the women of Bolivia, armed with small weapons, sticks, and pans, joined their men in battle, defending their country against an invading Spanish general. This occasion鈥攚hich marked the first time women fought in a Bolivian war鈥攊s now commemorated by the country鈥檚 Mother鈥檚 Day.

The holiday is huge in the country, coming in just behind Christmas in terms of how elaborately it is celebrated and how eagerly it is anticipated. Gifts, good meals, and flowers flow on the day, which celebrates all women, not just those who have made the commitment to motherhood.

Like the other Spanish-speaking countries on the list, Bolivians also wish each other a 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 by saying 鈥淔eliz D铆a de la Madre.鈥

A mother plays with her kid at an outdoor park
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Thailand

A relative newcomer to the Mother鈥檚 Day tradition, Thailand first observed the holiday in 1950. In 1976, the country made Aug. 12 its official Mother鈥檚 Day date, in honor of Queen Sirikit鈥檚 birthday. Residents celebrate by giving offerings, such as food, to Buddhist monks, and by attending programs at children鈥檚 schools. During these programs, which include more standard aspects like poem recitations and songs, Thai children also kneel at their mothers鈥 feet in an emotional gesture of respect. Mother鈥檚 Day in Thailand is also celebrated with gifts and special meals.

In Thai, 鈥淗appy Mother鈥檚 Day鈥 translates to 鈥淪虅uk虅hs虅岷t虙 w岷 m忙虁.鈥

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