Mother's
Day Around the World
Many countries
have special days to honor mothers. Some celebrate on May 10th
or on the second Sunday in May and others have Mother's Day
celebrations scattered throughout the year.
Believe
it or not, getting official recognition of Mother's Day as a
holiday was not a quick or easy process. The United States proclaimed
Mother's Day an official holiday in 1914 after more than a century
of women meeting locally to promote the idea.
The trilingual
Swiss began celebrating Muttertag, La Festa della Mamma or Fête des Mères, Mother's Day, in 1917. Whether
the idea was adopted because Swiss chocolates are so good will
never be known, but Switzerland was one of the first European
countries to adopt the celebration.
In Switzerland and many
other countries, including the United States, Mother's Day is
always the second Sunday in May.
Sometimes Mother's Day is confused with the British holiday called Mothering
Sunday. Traditionally, this holiday falls on the fourth
Sunday in Lent. But Mother's Day is now observed in England as well, and the traditions associated with Mothering Sunday
have been largely replaced by modern Mother's Day celebrations.
In Mexico and South America, Mother's Day is always celebrated
on May 10. Mother's Day is the largest
card-sending occasion for Hispanics beating out both Christmas
and Valentine's Day!
There
is no fixed date for "Antrosht" or Mother's
Day in Ethiopia because it occurs whenever the rainy
season ends (October-November). Girls and boys come from all
over to visit their parents, bringing the necessary ingredients
for a meat hash, which their mothers prepare. The mother and
girls anoint themselves with butter, and songs celebrating family
and tribal heroes are sung.
Children's Day in Yugoslavia (December – three
weeks before Christmas):
On a Sunday in early December known as Dechiyi Dan or Children's
Day, parents in Yugoslavia tie up their children and refuse
to release them until they
are good. On the following Sunday, known as "Materitse,"
"Materice," or Mother's Day, the children tie
up their mother, releasing her only when she has paid them with
sweets or other goodies!
Elsewhere around the world, Mother's Day is variously known as La Festa della Mamma (Italy), Muttertag (Germany), or Día de las Madres (Mexico).
Countries that celebrate Mother's Day
on the second Sunday in May:
Australia
Austria - Muttertag
Belgium
China
Denmark
Finland
Germany - Muttertag
Italy - La Festa della Mamma
Japan
Switzerland
Turkey
United States
Countries that celebrate Mother's Day
on May 10:
Bahrain
Hong Kong
India
Malaysia
Mexico - Día de las Madres
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
United Arab Emirates
Other Dates:
Argentina – Second Sunday in October
England – Last Sunday in Lent
Ethiopia – Antrosht
- End of the rainy season
France – Last Sunday in May
Lebanon – First day of Spring
Norway
– Second Sunday in February
South Africa – First Sunday in May
Spain and Portugal – December 8, the Virgin Mary's Day
as well as a day to honor mothers
Sweden – Last Sunday in May
Yugoslavia, specifically the Serbians – Sunday, two weeks
before Christmas
Source...
Hallmark Cards