Mother’s Day Around the World
By Valentina Attanasio, BT Associate Editor
Click here to go on a Mother’s Day photo journey!
Mother’s Day is a very special day in honor of mothers. It celebrates motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. It is also an opportunity to show a mother who has lost a little one that you care about her, during what could be an extremely difficult time for her. You probably are well acquainted with this annual event, but did you know it is held on different calendar dates, depending on the country?
In most countries — including the USA, Canada, most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, the Philippines and South Africa — Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Several countries — for example, the United Kingdom and Ireland — hold the event in March, while others opt for other months of the year.
The United Kingdom and Ireland celebrate Mother’s Day in March, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, for religious reasons. The tradition stems from the faithful returning to their “mother church” — the main church in the vicinity of their home — around this time, for a special service.
Check out the list below to find out when Mother’s Day is celebrated in other countries. And if you can’t find your country’s listing here, please let us know. Send an email to editorbt@llli.org. We’ll be happy to add it.
|
COUNTRY |
DATE |
| Albania | Sun, Mar 8 |
| Argentina | Sun, Oct 18 |
| Australia | Sun, May 10 |
| Austria | Sun, May 10 |
| Bahamas | Sun, May 10 |
| Bangladesh | Sun, May 10 |
| Barbados | Sun, May 10 |
| Belgium | Sun, May 10 |
| Brazil | Sun, May 10 |
| Bolivia | Wed, May 27 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sun, Mar 8 |
| Canada | Sun, May 10 |
| Czech Republic | Sun, May 10 |
| Chile | Sun, May 10 |
| China | Sun, May 10 |
| Colombia | Sun, May 10 |
| Cuba | Sun, May 10 |
| Czech Republic | Sun, May 10 |
| Denmark | Sun, May 10 |
| Dominican Republic | Sun, May 31 |
| El Salvador | Sun, May 10 |
| Estonia | Sun, May 10 |
| Finland | Sun, May 10 |
| France | Sun, Jun 7 |
| Georgia | Tue, Mar 3 |
| Germany | Sun, May 10 |
| Guatemala | Sun, May 10 |
| Haiti | Sun, May 31 |
| Honduras | Sun, May 10 |
| Hungary | Sun, May 3 |
| Iceland | Sun, May 10 |
| Ireland | Sun, Mar 22 |
| Italy | Sun, May 10 |
| India | Sun, May 10 |
| Japan | Sun, May 10 |
| Latvia | Sun, May 10 |
| Lithuania | Sun, May 3 |
| Luxembourg | Sun, Jun 14 |
| Malaysia | Sun, May 10 |
| Malta | Sun, May 10 |
| Mexico | Sun, May 10 |
| Netherlands | Sun, May 10 |
| New Zealand | Sun, May 10 |
| Norway | Sun, Feb 9 |
| Peru | Sun, May 10 |
| Philippines | Sun, May 10 |
| Poland | Tue, May 26 |
| Portugal | Sun, May 3 |
| Puerto Rico | Sun, May 10 |
| Republic of Macedonia | Sun, Mar 8 |
| Romania | Sun, May 3 |
| Russia | Sun, Nov 29 |
| Senegal | Sun, May 31 |
| South Africa | Sun, May 10 |
| Spain | Sun, May 3 |
| Sri Lanka | Sun, May 10 |
| Sweden | Sun, May 31 |
| Switzerland | Sun, May 10 |
| Taiwan | Sun, May 10 |
| Thailand | Wed, Aug 12 |
| Ukraine | Sun, May 10 |
| United Kingdom | Sun, Mar 22 |
| USA | Sun, May 10 |
| Venezuela | Sun, May 10 |
Mother’s Day Photo Journey
Celebrating Mother’s Day in a Tree – China
In 2019, Missy and her son celebrated Mother’s Day in a very special way. They went to a village in the suburbs to visit an ancient tree that is over 500 years old. Local people told them that years before a family had lived in the tree and gave birth to a baby girl there. Missy’s son took this unique photo as a memory of their day together!
Cherished Hand-painted Wishes – South Africa
Florence Van Antwerpen received this beautiful hand-painted watercolor card from her daughter on Mother’s Day. In the card, Florence’s daughter wishes her mother “Happy Mother’s Day to the best mom” in Afrikaans.
Mother’s Day Special Breakfast, Topped with Cards – South Africa
Cecilia Teixeira enjoyed a lovely breakfast, specially prepared by her four gorgeous children. On Mother’s Day morning she found both delicious food on the table, and also four handmade cards filled with hearts, flowers, butterflies and lots of love!
Mother’s Day Breastfeeding Portrait – Italy
On Mother’s Day, Viktorija Jandrecic received this lovely drawing from her daughter. Her little one titled it, “My mom is breastfeeding me.”
Sweet Mother’s Day Moment – Italy
Viktorija Jandrecic and her sweet daughters, holding each other’s little hands, while they enjoy a lovely moment of cuddles and breastfeeding on Mother’s Day.
Fun Trip on Mother’s Day – Italy
Enrica and her family enjoyed a stroll by Lago di Fimon — a lake near Vicenza — their first trip after a very long period of lockdown. What better occasion than to celebrate Mother’s Day!
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References:
Calendarpedia, Mother’s Day 2020, https://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/mothers-day.html (Accessed 5 March 2020)
OfficeHolidays, Mother’s Day around the world in 2020, https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/mothers-day (Accessed 5 March 2020)
Timeanddate.com, Mother’s Day, https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/mother-day (Accessed 5 March 2020)