The Origins of Mother's Day Around the World
Mother's Day, a celebration now observed in countless nations, stands as a testament to humanity’s deep-seated desire to honor maternal figures. While its modern form is frequently traced to the United States and the activism of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century, the holiday’s roots extend far beyond this singular narrative, weaving through ancient traditions, religious practices, and cultural adaptations across the globe. This thesis explores the rich and multifaceted origins of Mother's Day, tracing its evolution from prehistoric reverence for motherhood to its diverse contemporary expressions. By examining its historical development and global permutations, we uncover how this holiday reflects both universal values—such as gratitude and familial devotion—and the distinct identities of the societies that celebrate it.
The story of Mother’s Day begins in antiquity, where the veneration of motherhood found expression in religious and seasonal rituals. Among the earliest known celebrations were those dedicated to maternal deities in ancient Greece and Rome. In Greece, the festival of Cybele, known as the Great Mother of the Gods, was a significant event held in the spring. Worshippers offered gifts, performed dances, and conducted ceremonies to honor Cybele’s role as a symbol of fertility, nurturing, and the earth’s renewal. This festival, tied to the agricultural cycle, underscored the link between motherhood and the sustenance of life. Similarly, in Rome, the festival of Hilaria celebrated Cybele in mid-March, featuring elaborate processions, feasts, and temple offerings over several days. Though these rituals focused on a divine rather than human mother, they established a precedent for associating maternal honor with springtime—a connection that echoes in many modern Mother’s Day dates. Archaeological evidence, such as inscriptions and temple ruins, suggests these celebrations were widespread across the Mediterranean, influencing later cultural practices.
As societies evolved, so did the frameworks for honoring motherhood, particularly with the rise of Christianity in Europe. By the medieval period, a distinctly Christian precursor to Mother’s Day emerged in Britain: Mothering Sunday. Observed on the fourth Sunday of Lent, this tradition initially had little to do with biological mothers. Instead, it centered on the "mother church"—the primary church or cathedral of a region—where parishioners returned for a special service. Historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries describe this as a day of pilgrimage, often accompanied by the Laetare Sunday liturgy, which emphasized joy amid the penitential season. Over time, however, the practice shifted. By the 17th century, Mothering Sunday had become an occasion for family reunions, particularly for young servants and apprentices who worked far from home. These individuals, granted a rare day off, returned to their families bearing gifts like flowers or simnel cakes—a spiced fruit cake still associated with the day in Britain. This evolution from a religious to a familial focus laid critical groundwork for later secular celebrations of motherhood. Though Mothering Sunday’s prominence declined in the 19th century amid industrialization, its legacy persisted, influencing the timing and tone of modern Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom and its former colonies.
The most prominent and well-documented origin of contemporary Mother’s Day, however, lies in the United States, where a single woman’s crusade transformed a personal tribute into a national institution. Anna Jarvis, inspired by the death of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in 1905, sought to create a day dedicated to honoring mothers’ sacrifices. Ann Reeves Jarvis had been a formidable figure—a Sunday school teacher, peace activist, and organizer of "Mothers’ Day Work Clubs" during the American Civil War, which provided medical care and support to families on both sides of the conflict. Anna’s vision was deeply personal yet socially ambitious: she imagined a day of quiet reflection, marked by church services and the wearing of white carnations, her mother’s favorite flower. After years of letter-writing campaigns to politicians, clergy, and civic leaders, her efforts bore fruit. On May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day service was held in Grafton, West Virginia, and Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, where Anna distributed 500 carnations. By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson formalized the holiday, designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day nationwide. Yet, the holiday’s rapid commercialization—driven by florists, card companies, and retailers—soon clashed with Anna’s ideals. She spent her later years railing against this profiteering, even attempting to abolish the holiday she had founded. Her story highlights a tension between the holiday’s origins as a heartfelt tribute and its transformation into a consumer-driven event, a dynamic that persists today.
The American model of Mother’s Day, with its fixed May date and focus on individual mothers, quickly spread beyond U.S. borders, but its adoption was far from uniform. As it took root globally, the holiday adapted to local histories, beliefs, and social structures, creating a kaleidoscope of traditions. In Japan, Mother’s Day arrived after World War II, introduced by American occupiers, and settled on the second Sunday of May. Here, it blended with existing cultural values of filial piety, rooted in Shinto and Buddhist teachings. Japanese children honor their mothers with red carnations for the living and white for the deceased, a practice that mirrors rituals for ancestors while aligning with Anna Jarvis’s floral symbolism. Celebrations often include handmade gifts and expressions of gratitude, reflecting a understated yet profound appreciation for maternal care. In contrast, Mexico’s Día de las Madres, observed on May 10 regardless of the day of the week, bursts with energy and communal spirit. Its origins are tied to the 1920s, when journalist Rafael Alducin promoted the holiday in the newspaper Excélsior, inspired by both American influence and Mexico’s deep Catholic heritage. The Virgin Mary, revered as the ultimate mother, looms large in the celebration, with morning serenades by mariachi bands, church masses, and family feasts. Schools often host performances where children recite poems or sing, reinforcing the holiday’s role as a public affirmation of maternal devotion.
Elsewhere, Mother’s Day intertwines with pre-existing traditions, creating unique hybrids. In Ethiopia, the Antrosht festival, observed after the rainy season ends in September or October, includes a day dedicated to mothers. Rooted in the country’s Orthodox Christian calendar, this three-day celebration involves families slaughtering a sheep or goat and preparing hash-like dishes, with children bringing ingredients to honor their mothers. Songs and storytelling accompany the feast, blending Christian reverence with indigenous communal practices. Unlike the American-inspired May holiday, Antrosht is tied to the natural cycle, echoing ancient fertility rites. In India, the Western Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May coexists with older traditions like Matri Puja, a Hindu ritual where children worship their mothers as divine embodiments. Influenced by British colonialism and later American culture, the modern holiday has gained traction in urban areas, marked by cards and flowers, yet rural communities often retain traditional practices, such as offering prayers at home altars. This duality reflects India’s ability to layer new influences atop ancient customs.
The spread of Mother’s Day also reveals political and historical nuances. In Russia, the holiday, officially recognized in 1998 and celebrated on the last Sunday of November, plays a secondary role to International Women’s Day on March 8. The latter, established during the Soviet era, honors women broadly—including mothers—but emphasizes their contributions to labor and society over familial roles. Mother’s Day, by contrast, focuses narrowly on maternity, often marked by school events and small gifts, but lacks the public fanfare of its spring counterpart. This division reflects Soviet legacies of gender equality juxtaposed with post-communist efforts to revive traditional family values. In the Arab world, Mother’s Day falls on March 21, the first day of spring, following its introduction in Egypt in 1956 by journalist Mustafa Amin. Inspired by a story of a widowed mother’s sacrifices, Amin’s campaign spread across the Middle East, merging with regional poetry and gift-giving customs. The spring timing evokes ancient seasonal celebrations, while its secular tone accommodates diverse religious populations.
Despite these variations, Mother’s Day shares common threads across cultures: it serves as a moment to express gratitude, strengthen familial bonds, and acknowledge the labor of motherhood. Yet, its origins and practices diverge sharply. Ancient festivals exalted divine motherhood, medieval traditions linked it to ecclesiastical devotion, and modern iterations emphasize personal relationships. In some nations, like Thailand, where Mother’s Day on August 12 coincides with Queen Sirikit’s birthday, it doubles as a national holiday, blending monarchy with maternity. In others, like Bolivia, celebrated on May 27 to commemorate women who fought in the 1812 War of Independence, it carries a patriotic weight absent elsewhere. These differences illustrate how historical forces—religion, colonialism, war, or governance—shape the holiday’s character.
The origins of Mother’s Day around the world thus form a complex narrative of continuity and change. From the Cybele cults of antiquity to Anna Jarvis’s white carnations, from Britain’s simnel cakes to Ethiopia’s post-rain feasts, the holiday has morphed into a global phenomenon that both transcends and reflects its diverse roots. Its spread owes much to American influence, yet its adaptation reveals the resilience of local traditions. At its core, Mother’s Day remains a celebration of love and sacrifice, but its many forms—quiet or festive, sacred or secular—mirror the societies that embrace it. To study its origins is to explore not just a holiday, but the ways in which humanity has long sought to honor the figures who give and sustain life, adapting ancient impulses to fit the contours of each era and place.