Mother’s Day is celebrated across the globe, but the dates, customs, and meanings behind the holiday vary enormously from country to country. From ancient religious festivals to modern commercial celebrations, here is a detailed guide to how different cultures honour mothers around the world.
United Kingdom — Mothering Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent)
Britain’s version of Mother’s Day predates the modern American holiday by centuries. Mothering Sunday has its roots in the 16th century, when Christians were required to return to their “mother church” — the main cathedral or parish of their home region — for a special service in mid-Lent. Over time, the day became associated with honouring mothers more broadly.
Servants and apprentices who worked away from home were traditionally given the day off to visit their families, often picking wildflowers along the way to give as gifts. The traditional gift is a simnel cake — a light fruitcake decorated with eleven marzipan balls representing the apostles (excluding Judas). Today the holiday blends the old religious tradition with modern customs: cards, flowers (particularly daffodils), breakfast in bed, and family meals. Because it follows the church calendar, Mothering Sunday falls on a different date each year — usually in March — rather than the fixed second Sunday of May used in many other countries.
United States — Second Sunday of May
The modern Mother’s Day holiday was founded by Anna Jarvis, who campaigned for an official day to honour mothers after the death of her own mother in 1905. She achieved this in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making it a national holiday. Ironically, Jarvis later became one of its fiercest critics, appalled by what she saw as its rapid commercialisation.
Today, Mother’s Day in the US is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants, florists, and greeting card companies. Carnations — Anna Jarvis’s mother’s favourite flower — remain associated with the day, along with roses. Gifts, phone calls, cards, brunches, and family gatherings are all standard. It is also one of the highest-traffic days for long-distance telephone and video calls.
Mexico — 10 May (Fixed Date)
In Mexico, Mother’s Day (Día de las Madres) falls on 10 May every year, regardless of the day of the week. It is a deeply important celebration — arguably more significant than in many other countries. The day begins early, often with mariachi bands serenading mothers at home or at work. Flowers (especially roses), chocolates, and tamales are traditional gifts.
Schools hold special events in the days leading up to 10 May, with children performing songs and dances for their mothers. Extended families gather for large meals, and the day has a festive, almost jubilant character. Mexican Mother’s Day is deeply tied to the cultural ideal of motherhood as sacred and central to family life.
Ethiopia — Antrosht (Three-Day Autumn Festival)
Ethiopia celebrates a unique multi-day Mother’s Day festival called Antrosht, held each autumn at the end of the long rainy season. The celebration lasts for three days and is deeply communal.
Daughters traditionally bring vegetables, butter, and spices to contribute to a large family meal, while sons bring meat. Together, the family prepares a hash dish called hash, made of ground beef or lamb mixed with butter and spices. The festival involves singing, dancing, and the praising of mothers through songs that describe their physical features and personal qualities. Antrosht is less a commercial holiday and more a genuine family and community gathering centred on gratitude and togetherness.
Japan — Second Sunday of May (Haha no Hi)
Japan adopted Mother’s Day in its current form after World War II, influenced by American culture during the occupation period. The holiday is called Haha no Hi (母の日) and falls on the second Sunday of May.
Red carnations are the signature gift, symbolising the love and strength of motherhood. Children give handmade cards and drawings, and it is common to give practical gifts as well — items the mother has mentioned wanting throughout the year. Department stores run elaborate Mother’s Day promotions weeks in advance. In recent decades, sweets — particularly high-quality Japanese confectionery and cakes — have become popular gifts alongside flowers.
France — Last Sunday of May (or First Sunday of June)
La Fête des Mères in France was officially established in 1950, though its roots go back to Napoleon, who encouraged large families and celebrated prolific mothers. The French government promoted the holiday formally in the early 20th century, and it became a public institution after World War II.
The day falls on the last Sunday of May, unless that coincides with Whit Sunday (Pentecost), in which case it moves to the first Sunday of June. Children give flowers — lilies, roses, and peonies are popular — along with handmade gifts and jewellery. A special family lunch is the centrepiece of the celebration, often a multi-course meal at home or a restaurant. France also has a Fête des Grands-Mères (Grandmothers’ Day) in early March.
India — Second Sunday of May
Mother’s Day in India is a relatively modern adoption, growing rapidly in popularity since the 1990s alongside the rise of consumer culture and Western cultural influence. It is celebrated mainly in urban areas and by younger, middle-class families.
Cards, flowers, gifts, and special outings are common, but the day also sees a notable outpouring on social media, where public tributes and photographs are widely shared. In many Indian families, the day prompts a return home for those living away, and a shared meal is central. While it lacks the deep historical roots of celebrations in other countries, it has been enthusiastically embraced as a way to express affection that Indian culture sometimes expresses more through action than words.
Thailand — 12 August — Queen’s Birthday
Thailand ties Mother’s Day to the birthday of Queen Sirikit (now Queen Mother), celebrated on 12 August. This gives the day both a national and personal significance — it honours all mothers while also celebrating the revered Queen as the “Mother of the Nation.”
The jasmine flower is the symbol of Thai Mother’s Day, chosen for its white colour (associated with purity) and its sweet scent, which is said to represent a mother’s enduring love. Children give jasmine garlands and bouquets to their mothers and grandmothers. Schools hold ceremonies in the days leading up to 12 August, where children perform the wai kru gesture of deep respect. Government buildings and public spaces are decorated with the Queen’s portrait, and the day is a national public holiday.
Indonesia — 22 December
Indonesia celebrates Hari Ibu (Mother’s Day) on 22 December, a date that commemorates the first Indonesian Women’s Congress, held on 22 December 1928. That congress was a landmark moment in the women’s rights and national independence movement, and the date was formalised as National Mother’s Day in 1953.
The day honours not just individual mothers but the broader role of women in Indonesian society and the nation’s history. Celebrations range from family gatherings and gift-giving to public ceremonies, speeches, and school events. In many households, children take over domestic chores for the day to give their mothers a rest.
Brazil — Second Sunday of May
Brazil celebrates Dia das Mães on the second Sunday of May and takes the holiday very seriously — it is the second-biggest commercial event of the Brazilian retail year after Christmas. Flowers, chocolates, perfumes, and clothing are common gifts.
The day is strongly associated with the Catholic faith in Brazil, and many families attend church together in the morning before gathering for a large family lunch. It is also one of the most popular days of the year for dining out. Brazilian mothers are often publicly celebrated with great warmth and enthusiasm, with radio stations, television programmes, and social media all dedicating extensive coverage to the day.
Germany — Second Sunday of May (Muttertag)
Germany’s Muttertag was actively promoted during the Weimar Republic and gained considerable momentum during the Nazi era, when motherhood was heavily politicised as a national duty. After World War II the holiday shed most of those associations and settled into a more conventional celebration.
Today it closely resembles the American model: flowers (particularly red roses), cards, and family meals. German children often make handmade gifts at school. The Catholic Church’s influence also shapes the day in some regions, where it overlaps with Marian celebrations honouring the Virgin Mary.
Serbia — Materice (Three-Part Family Day Series)
Serbia has a charming traditional celebration called Materice, which forms part of a three-Sunday sequence in December alongside Detinjci (Children’s Day) and Oci (Fathers’ Day). The dates are tied to the Julian calendar used by the Serbian Orthodox Church.
On Materice, children sneak up on their sleeping mother and bind her feet with a cord or cloth. She must “buy” her freedom with sweets, small gifts, or coins — a playful ritual meant to celebrate and honour her. The tradition is rustic and communal, rooted in village life, though it has survived in modified forms in urban settings and among the diaspora.
Bolivia — 27 May (Fixed Date)
Bolivia’s Mother’s Day falls on 27 May and commemorates the Battle of La Coronilla, fought on that date in 1812, in which a group of women and their leader Manuela Gandarillas died defending the city of Cochabamba against Spanish royalist forces. The date was chosen in 1927 to honour mothers through the lens of patriotic sacrifice.
The day is a national public holiday. Schools hold special ceremonies, and children give flowers and gifts. The blend of patriotic memory and maternal celebration gives Bolivia’s version of the holiday a distinctive historical weight.
Egypt and the Arab World — 21 March (First Day of Spring)
Many Arab countries — including Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq — celebrate Mother’s Day on 21 March, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The date was chosen by Egyptian journalist Mustafa Amin, who campaigned for its adoption in the 1950s after being inspired by similar holidays in the West. Egypt officially adopted it in 1956, and the tradition spread across the Arab world.
The association with spring emphasises themes of renewal, life, and fertility. Gifts of flowers, perfume, jewellery, and sweets are common. Families gather for meals, and children perform songs and recitations at school events. The day is not a public holiday in most of these countries but is widely observed.
Russia — Last Sunday of November (Den Materi)
Russia has two competing celebrations. International Women’s Day on 8 March — a Soviet-era public holiday — is the more widely observed and has traditionally served as a de facto Mother’s Day. However, a separate official Mother’s Day (Den Materi) was established in 1998 and falls on the last Sunday of November.
Den Materi involves giving flowers and gifts to mothers, and public ceremonies honour mothers of large families and mothers who have lost sons in military service. In practice, 8 March remains the bigger celebration for most Russian families, with Den Materi being observed more in official and institutional contexts.
Common Threads and Contrasts
Across all these traditions, a few universal themes emerge: flowers as symbols of love and appreciation, shared meals as expressions of family unity, and children — of all ages — pausing to acknowledge the labour and love their mothers have given. What differs is the depth of historical and religious roots, the degree of commercialisation, and whether the day is a formal public holiday or a quieter personal observance.
Some cultures, like Ethiopia and Serbia, retain genuinely ancient or folk traditions. Others, like India and Japan, have adopted a largely Western commercial framework but layered it with local meaning. And a few, like Bolivia and Indonesia, have anchored the celebration to their own national history, turning Mother’s Day into something that speaks to collective as well as individual identity.
Whatever form it takes, the impulse behind all of these celebrations is the same: to say, in the particular language of a given culture, that mothers matter.