Mother’s Day started as a spring celebration in ancient Greece to honor Rhea, the Mother of the Deities.
In the 1600s Christians in England celebrated Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of Mary. This day was expanded to honor all mothers.
In 1870 Julia Ward Howe started the American Mother’s Day on June 2 to encourage peace, a reaction to the horrors of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War.
As the result of work by Anna Jarvis, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson declared in 1914 that Mother’s Day would be celebrated on the second Sunday in May.
| date | nation |
|---|---|
| Second Sunday in February | Norway |
| Shevat 30 (falls anywhere between January 30 and March 1) | Israel |
| March 3 | Georgia |
| March 8 | Afghanistan, Albania*, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,Laos, Macedonia*, Moldova*, Montenegro, Romania*, Russia*, Serbia**, Ukraine South Korea. *In Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Guyana, Italy, Macedonia, Mongolia, Russia, and Ukraine it is observed as International Women’s Day, not specifically Mothers’ day. |
| Fourth Sunday in Lent (Mothering Sunday - March 2 in 2008) | Ireland, Nigeria, United Kingdom |
| March 21 (vernal equinox) | Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen (All Arab countries in general) |
| March 25 | Slovenia |
| April 7 | Armenia |
| Baisakh Amavasya (Mata Tirtha Aunsi) | Nepal |
| First Sunday in May | Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain |
| May 8 | Albania (Parents’ Day), South Korea (Parents’ Day) |
| May 10 | El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico |
| Second Sunday in May - (May 11 in 2008; May 10 in 2009, May 9 in 2010) | Anguilla, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe |
| May 15 | Paraguay |
| May 26 | Poland |
| May 27 | Bolivia |
| last Sunday in May | Algeria, Dominican Republic, France (except if it coincides with Pentecost day, in which case Mother’s Day will be shifted to the first Sunday of June), Haiti, Mauritius, Morocco, Sweden, Tunisia |
| May 30 | Nicaragua |
| June 1 | Mongolia (The Mothers and Children’s Day. Mongolia is the only country that celebrates Mother’s day twice a year.) |
| 2nd Sunday of June | Luxembourg |
| Last Sunday of June | Kenya |
| August 12 | Thailand (the birthday of Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara) |
| August 15 | (Assumption Day) Antwerp (Belgium), Costa Rica |
| Second Monday in October | Malawi |
| October 14 | Belarus |
| Third Sunday in October | Argentina (Día de la Madre) |
| Last Sunday of Novembe | Russia |
| December 8 | Panama |
| 16 December, Iranian calendar: 25 Azar | (Mother And Child Foundation) Iran |
| December 22 | Indonesia |
complete calendar
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