Mother's Day around the world in 2024

Mother's Day around the world in 2024
  How long until Mother's Day?
Mother's Day
  Dates of Mother's Day around the world
2026 Various Feb 8, May 3, May 10, May 26, May 31, Jun 14, Aug 12, Oct 18, Nov 29
ArgentinaSun, Oct 18Not A Public Holiday
AustraliaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
AustriaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
BelgiumSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
BrazilSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
CanadaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
ChileSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
ColombiaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
Czech RepublicSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
DenmarkSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
Dominican RepublicSun, May 31Not A Public Holiday
EstoniaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
FinlandSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
FranceSun, May 31Not A Public Holiday
GermanySun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
HondurasSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
HungarySun, May 3Not A Public Holiday
IcelandSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
ItalySun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
LatviaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
LithuaniaSun, May 3National Holiday
LuxembourgSun, Jun 14Not A Public Holiday
MalaysiaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
MaltaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
NetherlandsSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
New ZealandSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
NorwaySun, Feb 8Not A Public Holiday
PolandTue, May 26Not A Public Holiday
PortugalSun, May 3Not A Public Holiday
Puerto RicoSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 3Not A Public Holiday
RussiaSun, Nov 29Not A Public Holiday
SpainSun, May 3Not A Public Holiday
SwedenSun, May 31Not A Public Holiday
SwitzerlandSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
TaiwanSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
ThailandWed, Aug 12Not A Public Holiday
USASun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
UkraineSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
VenezuelaSun, May 10Not A Public Holiday
2025 Various Feb 9, May 4, May 11, May 25, May 26, Jun 8, Aug 12, Oct 18, Nov 30
ArgentinaSat, Oct 18Not A Public Holiday
AustraliaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
AustriaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
BelgiumSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
BrazilSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
CanadaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
ChileSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
ColombiaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
Czech RepublicSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
DenmarkSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
Dominican RepublicSun, May 25Not A Public Holiday
EstoniaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
FinlandSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
FranceSun, May 25Not A Public Holiday
GermanySun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
HondurasSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
HungarySun, May 4Not A Public Holiday
IcelandSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
ItalySun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
LatviaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
LithuaniaSun, May 4National Holiday
LuxembourgSun, Jun 8Not A Public Holiday
MalaysiaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
MaltaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
NetherlandsSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
New ZealandSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
NorwaySun, Feb 9Not A Public Holiday
PolandMon, May 26Not A Public Holiday
PortugalSun, May 4Not A Public Holiday
Puerto RicoSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 4Not A Public Holiday
RussiaSun, Nov 30Not A Public Holiday
SpainSun, May 4Not A Public Holiday
SwedenSun, May 25Not A Public Holiday
SwitzerlandSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
TaiwanSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
ThailandTue, Aug 12Not A Public Holiday
USASun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
UkraineSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
VenezuelaSun, May 11Not A Public Holiday
2024 Various Feb 11, May 5, May 12, May 26, Jun 9, Aug 12, Oct 20, Nov 24
ArgentinaSun, Oct 20Not A Public Holiday
AustraliaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
AustriaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
BelgiumSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
BrazilSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
CanadaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
ChileSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
ColombiaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
Czech RepublicSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
DenmarkSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
Dominican RepublicSun, May 26Not A Public Holiday
EstoniaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
FinlandSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
FranceSun, May 26Not A Public Holiday
GermanySun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
HondurasSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
HungarySun, May 5Not A Public Holiday
IcelandSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
ItalySun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
LatviaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
LithuaniaSun, May 5National Holiday
LuxembourgSun, Jun 9Not A Public Holiday
MalaysiaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
MaltaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
NetherlandsSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
New ZealandSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
NorwaySun, Feb 11Not A Public Holiday
PolandSun, May 26Not A Public Holiday
PortugalSun, May 5Not A Public Holiday
Puerto RicoSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 5Not A Public Holiday
RussiaSun, Nov 24Not A Public Holiday
SpainSun, May 5Not A Public Holiday
SwedenSun, May 26Not A Public Holiday
SwitzerlandSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
TaiwanSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
ThailandMon, Aug 12Not A Public Holiday
USASun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
UkraineSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
VenezuelaSun, May 12Not A Public Holiday
2023 Various Feb 12, May 7, May 14, May 26, May 28, Jun 11, Aug 12, Oct 15, Nov 26
ArgentinaSun, Oct 15Not A Public Holiday
AustraliaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
AustriaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
BelgiumSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
BrazilSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
CanadaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
ChileSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
ColombiaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
Czech RepublicSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
DenmarkSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
Dominican RepublicSun, May 28Not A Public Holiday
EstoniaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
FinlandSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
FranceSun, May 28Not A Public Holiday
GermanySun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
HondurasSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
HungarySun, May 7Not A Public Holiday
IcelandSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
ItalySun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
LatviaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
LithuaniaSun, May 7National Holiday
LuxembourgSun, Jun 11Not A Public Holiday
MalaysiaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
MaltaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
NetherlandsSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
New ZealandSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
NorwaySun, Feb 12Not A Public Holiday
PolandFri, May 26Not A Public Holiday
PortugalSun, May 7Not A Public Holiday
Puerto RicoSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 7Not A Public Holiday
RussiaSun, Nov 26Not A Public Holiday
SpainSun, May 7Not A Public Holiday
SwedenSun, May 28Not A Public Holiday
SwitzerlandSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
TaiwanSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
ThailandSat, Aug 12Not A Public Holiday
USASun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
UkraineSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
VenezuelaSun, May 14Not A Public Holiday
2022 Various Feb 13, May 1, May 8, May 26, May 29, Jun 12, Aug 12, Oct 16, Nov 27
ArgentinaSun, Oct 16Not A Public Holiday
AustraliaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
AustriaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
BelgiumSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
BrazilSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
CanadaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
ChileSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
ColombiaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
Czech RepublicSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
DenmarkSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
Dominican RepublicSun, May 29Not A Public Holiday
EstoniaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
FinlandSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
FranceSun, May 29Not A Public Holiday
GermanySun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
HondurasSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
HungarySun, May 1Not A Public Holiday
IcelandSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
ItalySun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
LatviaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
LithuaniaSun, May 1National Holiday
LuxembourgSun, Jun 12Not A Public Holiday
MalaysiaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
MaltaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
NetherlandsSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
New ZealandSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
NorwaySun, Feb 13Not A Public Holiday
PolandThu, May 26Not A Public Holiday
PortugalSun, May 1Not A Public Holiday
Puerto RicoSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 1Not A Public Holiday
RussiaSun, Nov 27Not A Public Holiday
SpainSun, May 1Not A Public Holiday
SwedenSun, May 29Not A Public Holiday
SwitzerlandSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
TaiwanSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
ThailandFri, Aug 12Not A Public Holiday
USASun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
UkraineSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
VenezuelaSun, May 8Not A Public Holiday
  Summary

Mother's Day is celebrated across the world, in more than 50 countries, though not all countries celebrate it on the same day

  Which countries observe Mother's Day in 2024?
Related holidays

About Mother's Day

Not a public holiday, but a legal national holiday observed on the second Sunday in May in the United States.

Mother's Day is celebrated across the world, in more than 50 countries, though not all countries celebrate it on the same day.

Countries that celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May include Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and Belgium. In Mexico and many parts of Latin America, Mother's Day is celebrated on May 10th of each year. In Thailand, it is celebrated on August 12th, the birthday of the current Queen.

Mother's Day around the world

Early History

Arguably, the tradition of a day to celebrate mothers can be traced back to the times of the ancient Greeks, who held festivities to honour Rhea, the mother of the gods.

Early Christians celebrated the fourth Sunday of Lent as a mother's festival to honour Mary, the mother of Christ.

In the UK, the tradition of Mother's Day is now very similar to its American counterpart, but its origins are different, as the day commemorates returning to your mother church on the fourth Sunday in Lent.

The English colonists who settled in America discontinued the tradition of Mothering Sunday, as presumably, it would have been a bit of a trip to return to their mother church for the day.

The American tradition

For a holiday, that became popular in fairly recent times, we can still manage to find three originations for the day.

A true American Mother's Day was first suggested in the United States by Julia Ward Howe, writer of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. She suggested that the day be dedicated to peace. Starting in 1872, she organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston every year.

However, some would argue that Mother's day on the current date was almost accidentally set in motion by Mrs Juliet Calhoun Blakely. On Sunday 11 May 1877, Mrs Blakely's birthday, her son who was the pastor of her Church, left the pulpit abruptly. Mrs Blakely then stepped to the pulpit and took over the rest of the service, calling for other mothers to join her.

Mrs. Blakely's two sons felt so moved by their mother's actions that they vowed to return to their hometown of Albion, Michigan., every year to mark their mother's birthday. In addition, the brothers urged others to honour their own mothers on the second Sunday of May.

In terms of the holiday gaining its national status, undoubtedly the main driver was a Philadelphia schoolteacher called Anna M. Jarvis.

In 1907, Miss Anna, began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother. Anna's mother, Mrs Anna M. Jarvis, had been instrumental in developing "Mothers Friendship Day" which was set up to assist in the healing process after the Civil War. Miss Jarvis wanted to set aside a day to honour all mothers, living and dead.

Miss Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, evangelists, businessmen, and politicians in their crusade to establish a national Mother's Day.

The first Mother's Day observance was a church service favourite the second anniversary of her mother's death, the second Sunday of May. Anna handed out her mother's favourite flowers, white incarnations.

The following year, Mother's Day was also celebrated in Miss Anna's own city of Philadelphia. By 1911, Mother's Day had spread nationwide and was being celebrated in almost every state in the Union.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honour of mothers.

Over the years, Mother's day became increasingly popular and the current traditions of card and gift-giving increased. It is said that the commercialization of Mother's day angered Anna as she felt that the original sentiment of the day was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.

Mother's Day is now one of the most commercially successful U.S. occasions. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother's Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States. This year, consumers are expected to spend $21.2 billion on Mother's Day, an increase of 5 percent from last year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

The Greeting Card Association estimates that more than 150 million Mother’s Day cards are exchanged in the U.S. every year, making Mother’s Day the third-largest card-sending holiday after Christmas and Valentine’s Day.


Did you know?

Three facts about Mother's Day

The founder of Mothers' Day, Anne Jarvis, never became a mother.

Approximately 65 percent of card sales occur five days prior to Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for the restaurant industry with 62% of Americans dining out.

More facts about Mother's Day

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