Mother's Day Around the World

Every country, every religion, and every community on the earth celebrates Mother's Day. There are many forms of dedicating a day in honor of mothers. In some countries, The day is synonymous with religious festivals. In some, the International Woman's Day substitutes as Mother's Day. In many countries, local cultural festivals to honor mothers and motherhood have been passed down through generations. In modern times, of all of these festivities, the U.S. style of Mother's Day, on the 2nd Sunday of May has become popular. Therefore, the custom of giving flowers, carnations, and other gifts and greetings have found universal acceptance in a majority of countries mothers day gift ideas.


Early celebrations were mostly associated with religion like Mothering Sunday in Europe that falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent according to Christian liturgical calendar, or the Indian Hindu custom of Mata Tirtha Aunshi (Mother's Pilgrimage fortnight). While Mothering Sunday was associated with Mother Churches and Virgin Mary the mother of Jesus, the Hindu custom was related with a legend of Devaki the mother of Krishna, the greatest Avatar of Vishnu - the Hindu God who maintains the universe. Even in ancient Rome, mothers were given gifts on the day of Matronalia, a festival in honor of the goddess Juno. Surprisingly, in many cases, customs like Mothering Sunday, which had died out in their places of origin were revived to honor mothers and as a means to protect cultural identity once the US culture of Mother's Day started finding popular acceptance.


In many Islamic countries, Mother's Day customs are observed on the anniversary of the birth of Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad. However, even in countries so divergent as Bangladesh (Islamic) and China (communist) the US custom has been adopted in absence of firmly established local customs, and because the values reflect the ethos of most civilized societies. In many countries, the local associates itself with the ruling family or clan of the land, but even there the US custom is finding greater favor with the people as Mother's Day. For example, in Japan the birthday of Empress Kojun the mother of Emperor Akihito was established as Mother's Day. However, around 1950, this day was shifted to the 2nd Sunday of May following the US custom. Even in Thailand, where the official Mother's Day is held on 12 August, the birthday of Queen Sikrit, (the Father's Day being the birthday of the King), the US custom has gained popularity with the common people in cities.


In a rare incident of defending customs of capitalist countries, the People's Daily of China, the journal of the Communist Party of China, published an article explaining that, "despite originating in the United States, people in China take the holiday with no hesitance because it goes in line with the country's traditional ethics - respect to the elderly and filial piety to parents."


So, one might say that the US Mother's Day campaigned and established by Anne Jarvis, and endorsed officially as a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson of U.S.A. has become the mother of all Mothers Days in modern times. The truth is that US being the greatest international market, a great variety of gifts and greetings for mothers become available in the market before the US Mother's Day. People in every country find it convenient to purchase and offer gifts specifically meant for mothers if the day is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of May.