Today is Mother’s Day! At least, it is if you live in the US, Australia, Germany, China, Greece or various other places across the world.
If you found yourself in a panic this morning after seeing Mother’s Day messages plastered across social media, you wouldn’t be alone.
But never fear – the day is marked on a different date on this side of the pond.
While the observance is worldwide, why do we all celebrate it on different days, and when is Mother’s Day in the UK?
Here’s all you need to know.
When is Mother’s Day in the UK?
Mother’s Day was celebrated in the UK on Sunday 22 March, which means it has already passed (albeit while in lockdown).
The next Mother’s Day in the UK will be on Sunday 14 March 2021.
We only share this date with a few other places, including Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Ireland and Nigeria.
Why is Mother’s Day on a different date to America?
The date changes every year because, in the UK, Mothering Sunday first began as a church tradition, and it takes place three weeks before Easter on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
This was when Christians would visit their ‘mother church’ which is why we often refer to the day as Mothering Sunday.
Because the dates of Lent and Easter change each year, based on the lunar calendar, the date of Mother’s Day changes too.
In other countries like the US, the day wasn’t founded through religion and is specifically referred to as Mother’s Day.
It became an official US holiday in 1914 when the president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, declared the second Sunday in May as a day of ‘public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.’
The campaign for a national observance was started in 1908 by West Virginia activist, Anna Jarvis, who campaigned for a holiday in honour of her mother, who was a community activist.
The idea was first planted by suffragist Julia Ward Howe in 1872 who suggested the holiday as a chance to unite women.
MORE: Disney Family Singalong starring Katy Perry, John Legend and Shakira to air on Mother’s Day
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/10/when-mothers-day-uk-why-different-day-us-12681370/
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