Mother’s Day: A Brief History and Modern Celebrations

There’s something about mother’s day that makes even the most unsentimental people pause. Maybe it’s a phone call they’ve been putting off. Maybe it’s the realisation that the person who did the most for them barely gets acknowledged the rest of the year. Whatever it is — the day lands differently from most holidays.

But beyond the flowers and the restaurant bookings and the last-minute gift panics, there’s an actual story behind this day. Where it came from, what it was originally meant to be, and how it became one of the most widely observed days on the calendar.

Mother’s Day Date: When Is It and Why Does It Change?

The mother’s day date moves every year, which confuses people more than it should. It falls on the second Sunday of May. Always. The date shifts because it’s tied to a day of the week rather than a fixed calendar date.

In 2026, mother’s day 2026 falls on Sunday, May 10. Mark it. Because the number of people who realise it’s this Sunday when it’s already Saturday is large enough to keep florists and delivery services in business.

Different countries observe it on different dates. The UK and Ireland celebrate it on the fourth Sunday of Lent — which typically falls in March. Many Arab countries observe it on March 21. Norway marks it on the second Sunday of February. But for India, the United States, Canada, Australia, and most of the world, the second Sunday of May is the standard.

History of Mother’s Day: Where It Actually Started

The history of mother’s day is more complicated — and more interesting — than most people assume. It didn’t start as a commercial holiday. It started as a protest.

Ancient Roots

The idea of honouring mothers isn’t modern. Ancient Greeks held festivals for Rhea, the mother of the gods. Romans celebrated Hilaria, a spring festival dedicated to Cybele, the mother goddess. Early Christians in Europe observed Mothering Sunday — a day when people returned to their “mother church” and, over time, also visited their mothers on the same trip.

Anna Jarvis and the Modern Holiday

The mother’s day most people know today traces directly to one woman — Anna Jarvis, an American from West Virginia. Her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, had been a peace activist who also ran “Mothers’ Work Clubs” during and after the American Civil War to improve public health in communities.

After Ann Reeves Jarvis died in 1905, her daughter Anna decided to create a holiday in her memory — a day to honour all mothers. She campaigned relentlessly. In 1908, she held the first official mother’s day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia, handing out white carnations — her mother’s favourite flower.

By 1914, her campaign had reached Congress. President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making the second Sunday of May an official national holiday in the United States.

The Irony: Anna Jarvis Turned Against the Holiday She Created

Here’s the part nobody mentions. Anna Jarvis spent the last decades of her life fighting against the very holiday she created — because it had become exactly what she never intended it to be. She wanted the day to be a personal, intimate tribute. A letter written to your mother. A visit. A sincere moment between a child and the woman who raised them.

Instead, she watched it become one of the biggest commercial events of the year. Greeting card companies, florists, and chocolatiers turned it into a spending occasion. She called it “a Hallmark holiday” and reportedly died bitter about what it had become, despite spending most of her money on legal battles trying to stop its commercialisation.

How Mother’s Day Is Celebrated Around the World

Mother’s day celebration looks different depending on where you are, but a few things run consistently across cultures.

In India, the day has grown significantly in visibility over the last two decades, driven partly by social media and partly by a retail and hospitality industry that saw an obvious opportunity. Families take mothers out for meals. Children — especially those living away — call, video-call, and send gifts.

In the United States, it’s one of the biggest days of the year for restaurants. Phone call volumes peak — it’s consistently the highest day for telephone activity in the US. Florists report it as either the first or second biggest sales day of the year, competing with Valentine’s Day.

In the UK, Mothering Sunday in March has a slightly different tradition — the Simnel cake, a fruit cake with marzipan, was historically associated with the day and some families still make or buy it.

Japan observes the day with carnations — red for mothers who are living, white for those who have passed away.

What People Actually Do on Mother’s Day

Most mother’s day plans fall into a few categories. Here’s what’s common and what actually tends to land well:

Gifts people give:

• Flowers — carnations are historically associated with the day, but most people go with whatever their mother actually likes
• Personalised items — photos, custom jewellery, handmade things that show some thought went in
• Experiences — a spa day, a lunch out, a cooking class, something she’d enjoy doing rather than receiving
• Subscription gifts — magazine, streaming, food delivery — useful things that keep giving past the day itself

What tends to matter more than the gift:

• Actually being present, not checking the phone, listening to her talk without redirecting the conversation.
• Helping with something she’s been needing to do. Most mothers would rather have the broken shelf fixed or a drawer organised than another scented candle.
• Writing something. A letter, a card with actual sentences in it rather than just your name. People keep those.

Mother’s Day: How to Make It Mean Something

Mother’s day falls on May 10. That’s enough notice to actually plan something rather than panic on May 9.

A few honest thoughts on making the day work:

Ask her what she actually wants. Plenty of people assume they know. Many mothers want a quiet day, or a specific meal at home, or everyone in one room watching something together — and end up with a busy restaurant booking that exhausts them.

If you live far away, the day matters even more. A video call at an agreed time. Flowers or food delivered to her door. A letter sent in advance so it arrives before the day. The gesture of planning ahead says as much as the gesture itself.

If your relationship with your mother is complicated — and many people are — the day can feel loaded. That’s real. You don’t have to perform warmth you don’t feel.

FAQs About Mother’s Day

1. What is Mother’s Day in?

Mother’s day falls on Sunday, May 10. It’s always the second Sunday of May in India, the United States, Canada, Australia, and most countries. The date changes every year because it’s tied to the day of the week rather than a fixed calendar date.

2. What is the history of mother’s day and who started it?

The history of mother’s day in its modern form begins with Anna Jarvis, an American woman who campaigned for a holiday honouring mothers after her own mother died in 1905. The first official mother’s day celebration she organised was in 1908 in West Virginia.

3. Why does the mother’s day date change every year?

Because it falls on the second Sunday of May rather than a specific date. The mother’s day date varies between May 8 and May 14 depending on which day of the week May begins. This is the same reason holidays like Easter change each year — they’re pegged to a day of the week in a specific week of the month.

4. How is mother’s day celebrated differently in different countries?

Traditions vary quite a bit. The US sees its highest restaurant traffic of the year on mother’s day. Japan uses red and white carnations to distinguish between living and deceased mothers. The UK celebrates earlier in March with Mothering Sunday traditions, including the Simnel cake in some families.

5. Did the founder of mother’s day really oppose the holiday she created?

Yes. This is one of the more surprising facts in the history of Mother’s day. Anna Jarvis spent years and significant personal funds fighting against the commercialisation of the holiday she had worked so hard to establish. She wanted the day to remain personal and sincere — a letter, a visit, a genuine moment between a child and their mother.