Mother's Day 2022: When is it celebrated, where did it come from?

Lilacs are the official flower of Mother’s Day in Hungary, whereas in Thailand it is customary to give jasmines. (Image: Donna G via Unsplash)

It is never too late to show our gratitude to our mothers. From raising us as kids to sticking by us when we are moody teenagers and being the occasional shoulder to cry on – they have always had our backs. Which is why Mother's Day is celebrated every year in over 152 countries worldwide. Unlike holidays with a set date, Mother's Day has more to do with a specific day of the week: It falls on the second Sunday in May each year. This year, it’s on May 8.

The popularity of the day can be gauged from the fact that more phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year, causing phone usage to go up by as much as 37 percent in the US. But what exactly are the origins of Mother’s Day?

A daughter’s tribute

It began, like so many mom stories, with a powerful bond between a mother and daughter. Anna Reeves Jarvis started Mother’s Day as a tribute to her mom Ann Reeves Jarvis, a human rights activist during the Civil War of 1861. When Ann passed away on May 9, 1904, Anna hit upon the idea of a general Mother’s Day to celebrate all mothers, to be held around the anniversary of her own mother’s death. She invited friends and family to St Andrews Methodist Church in West Virginia, which now has the International Mother’s Day Shrine to honour her mother on the one-year anniversary of her death. She handed out carnations, her mother’s favourite flower, to all the mothers in attendance. It was such a moving tribute that she and her loved ones decided to keep the tradition going each May. They broadened the celebration to include mothers in general.

Seeing how successful this first Mother’s Day event was, Anna vowed to make it a national holiday. She tirelessly wrote to politicians and newspapers from around the country, asking them to adopt the day and celebrate motherhood. Soon, the idea caught on and spread to 45 other states, and several of them even declared it an official holiday in 1912 and after. Finally, in 1914, former President Woodrow Wilson announced the first national celebration of Mother’s Day.

Sadly, Anna tried to stop Mother’s Day just five years after getting it officially recognized. She said it had become too commercialized and hated it. Jarvis wanted children to write letters, as she had done to her mother, and saw greeting cards as a poor substitute. And as for chocolate boxes, she noted with sarcasm, half the time the sons “eat most of it themselves”. She started fighting the commercialization of Mother’s Day, launching a volley of legal cases to try and retain control. Jarvis fought for full credit for founding Mother’s Day, a battle that consumed much of her time and money and eventually left her penniless, blind and living in a sanitarium at the end of her life. She died in 1948 at the age of 84. Ironically her care home bills were paid by the florists and other Mother’s Day businesses she had battled for so long.

Mother’s Day traditions around the world

In Ethiopia, Mother's Day coincides with the Antrosht festival. There is dancing, singing, and lots of food over the three days of the fest. It’s customary for daughters to bring vegetables and cheese, while sons get the meat.

In Thailand, it is observed on August 12 to commemorate the birthday of Queen Sirikit. Festivities for the holiday include parades and gifting jasmine to mothers.

When Russia was still part of the Soviet Union, mothers were honoured on March 8, International Women’s Day. In 1998, Mother’s Day was officially established as the last Sunday of November. However, many people still celebrate it in March.

In Nepal, Mother’s Day is known as Mata Tirtha Aunsi, which means “Mother Pilgrimage New Moon”. On this day, individuals will cherish the time spent with their mothers and remember all those who have passed away.

The Japanese have adopted the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day in Hungary is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. Children gift handmade cards and crafts items to their mothers. Lilacs are the official flower of Mother’s Day in Hungary, and many bouquets are handed out.

In Israel, Mother’s Day is celebrated on Shvat 30, a Sabbath day that falls between January 30 and March 1, depending on the Jewish calendar. In the 1990s, the government changed the holiday from Mother’s Day to Family Day to acknowledge the changing roles and structures of modern families.

Rise in commercialization

While Mother’s Day is a mega money-spinner in the US, where it provides a spike in sales between Valentine’s Day and Easter and the still distant festival season, it is promoted with hopeful fervour in India. It is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants, with brunch being the most popular meal.

A huge selection of brands run Mother’s Day sales.

The chocolate and baked goods industry too makes a killing on this day. “Our sales figures are a minimum of double on Mother’s Day. In any case, our stores reach capacity on regular days where sales are concerned. But on Mother’s Day all hell breaks loose... The target audience is across all age groups, gender, social strata, location, religion, etc. Everybody has a mum, grand mum, great grand mum, daughter, wife, sister that they would like to celebrate on such a day. For us, this day is much bigger than Christmas, Diwali and Valentine's Day,” says Ruchyeta Bhatia, founder, Love & Cheesecake.

Whether you choose to buy your mother flowers, treat her to her favourite meal, create a playlist of her favourite songs or just hang out with her… don’t forget to make it special!