- Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 12, in 2024.
- Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother’s Day in her hometown in 1908 to honor her late mother, whose charitable work focused on lowering infant mortality rates through education.
- In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day a national holiday, with the date falling on the second Sunday in May.
With the arrival of May, Mom should be at the top of your mind with her special holiday coming up! But when is Mother's Day anyway in 2024 in the USA anyway? It is indeed always on a Sunday, and we've got all the save the date information you'll need, plus the history of how the celebration go started in the first place. (And don't forget deal ole dad either; we're also sure to answer: When is Father's Day 2024? Plus, if you are wondering when Mother's Day is in the UK, Mothering Sunday is celebrated three weeks before Easter each year.)
As Mom's big day approaches, you'll want to think ahead on Mother's Day activities and events to honor her important role in your life, perhaps with a delicious brunch spread to share with those she loves most. You can also celebrate her by selecting a Mother's Day gift she'll love complete with a thoughtful Mother's Day messages written by hand inside a card, or by taking the DIY route with a handmade Mother's Day craft.
And now for all you need to know about Mother's Day this year...
When is Mother's Day?
This year, Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 12, 2024. Although the date changes year-to-year, Mother's Day is always held on the second Sunday of May—similarly to how Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
Why do we celebrate Mother's Day?
Anna Jarvis, an activist who lived from 1864 to 1948, is credited with being the "mother" of Mother's Day. (Although, interestingly enough, she never had any children of her own.)
Anna's mother, Anne Jarvis, hosted clubs for moms in the 1850s to help them learn to properly care for their children in order to lower the infant mortality rate, according to National Geographic. After Anne's passing in 1905, Anna was determined to honor her mother's legacy. On May 10, 1908, Anna organized the first Mother's Day–related function in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia.
Anna's hard work to pay tribute to her late mother was so impressive that President Woodrow Wilson officially declared Mother's Day a national holiday in 1914. (He was also the one who decided it should fall on the second Sunday in May.)
Unfortunately, Anna's dream of cherishing her mother and what she believed in didn't last long. Soon, Mother's Day became commercialized by florists, greeting card vendors, and candy companies—or, as Anna preferred to call them, "schemers" and "profiteers," according to BuzzFeed. Despite her valiant efforts to try and recapture the true meaning of Mother's Day, the day was completely transformed from giving back to charity to giving gifts. A Reader's Digest reporter captured Anna's disappointment with the alteration and noted: "[Anna] told me, with terrible bitterness, that she was sorry she ever started Mother’s Day," according to BuzzFeed.
Despite her disapproval of what Mother's Day has become, there is a part of the holiday she might accept: the gifting of bouquets of flowers. National Geographic reports that the white carnation has always been the official bloom of the holiday. Apparently, it was Anne's favorite flower.
Jennifer Aldrich was the editorial assistant for CountryLiving.com.
FAQs
Before the brunches, before the gifts and greeting cards, Mother's Day was a time for mourning women to remember fallen soldiers and work for peace. When the holiday went commercial, its greatest champion gave everything to fight it, dying penniless and broken in a sanitarium.
What is the true history of mother's day? ›
Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, whose mother had organized women's groups to promote friendship and health, originated Mother's Day. On May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia.
What is the surprising history of mother's day? ›
Evidence suggests that the original idea was for a “Mothers' Day” — a day for mothers, plural, not a day for one's own mother — on which mothers would get together for a day of service to help out other mothers who were less fortunate than they were, according to Katharine Lane Antolini, an assistant professor of ...
Why the lady who started mother's day turned against it? ›
Anna Jarvis, who founded Mother's Day in 1908, passionately opposed its growing commercialization and eventually campaigned against the holiday. Anna Jarvis, who had no children of her own, conceived of Mother's Day as an occasion for honoring the sacrifices individual mothers made for their children.
What is the pagan meaning of Mothers Day? ›
The pagan origins of Mother's Day dates back to the ancient Greeks during their yearly spring festival that paid tribute to maternal goddesses. In Greek mythology, a key figure was Rhea, wife of Cronus, who was the mother of various gods and goddesses.
Why has Mother's Day changed? ›
When is Mother's Day and why does the date change? Mother's Day always falls on a Sunday and is determined by the lunar calendar. It occurs on the fourth Sunday in Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter and is usually towards the end of March or beginning of April.
What is the secret behind mother's day? ›
A woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her own mother died. The first larger-scale celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia.
What is the hidden theme of mother's day? ›
Channelling herself through Mrs. Pearson, she manipulates the family dynamic so as to get her friend the respect that she deserves. She also helps establish the principal theme of the play-about the unsung roles that women play in the family.
What is the full meaning of mother's day? ›
Mother's Day is a time to honor motherhood and show our appreciation to moms of all kinds, including wives, sisters, and grandmas, for all their hard work and sacrifice. In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
Why is mother's day even a thing? ›
The official Mother's Day began in the US and was started by the daughter of Ann Marie Jarvis- Anna Jarvis. Anna Jarvis wanted the day to be a celebration of how much mothers sacrificed for their children. She put her efforts into creating the Mother's Day tradition, after her mother's death in 1905.
MAY 9, 1914 President Wilson Declares National Mother's Day
President Woodrow Wilson, on Saturday, May 9, 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May, thereby making May 10, 1914 the first national Mother's Day.
Why was May chosen for mother's day? ›
Ann Marie died on May 9, 1905, and her daughter, Anna, missed her mother greatly. She started a dedicated letter-writing campaign to declare an official Mother's Day. Through Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, the first observance occurred on May 10, 1908.
What is the secret behind Mother's Day? ›
A woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her own mother died. The first larger-scale celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia.
What is the hidden theme of Mother's Day? ›
Channelling herself through Mrs. Pearson, she manipulates the family dynamic so as to get her friend the respect that she deserves. She also helps establish the principal theme of the play-about the unsung roles that women play in the family.
What does Mother's Day mean in the Bible? ›
What Does The Bible Say About Mothers Day? The Bible consistently asks followers to honor and love their mothers. Examples of this can be seen in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother,” and Leviticus 19:3, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father.”
What does Mother's Day symbolize? ›
Mother's Day is a time to honor motherhood and show our appreciation to moms of all kinds, including wives, sisters, and grandmas, for all their hard work and sacrifice. In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
