When is Mother's Day 2024? Here's why we celebrate and how to honor mom this year

Mother's Day is the day when we step back, honor and celebrate the woman in our lives who gave birth, nurtured, and raised us.

What day is Mother's Day this year?

Mother's Day is the second Monday in May. This year, it's Sunday, May 12.

When did Mother's Day start?

According to History.com, the first modern-day celebration of mothers was Mothering Day in Europe. It was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent and was seen as a time to return to "mother church." The holiday became more secular with children giving their moms presents or flowers.

The seeds of Mother's Day in the United States started around the time of the Civil War. Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia would teach women how to care for children with "Mother's Day Work Clubs." The clubs became a unifying force after the Civil War as mothers gathered with Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Jarvis' daughter, Anna Jarvis, conceived Mother's Day as a way to honor her mother, and with the help of Philadelphia department store owner John Wanamaker, she organized the first Mother's Day in 19087 at a Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. On the same day, thousands of people attended a Mother's Day event at Wanamaker's store.

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After the initial success, Anna Jarvis pushed for the holiday to be added to the national calendar, noting that American holidays were slanted toward male achievement. Her work paid off as President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure establishing Mother's Day in 1914.

How is Mother's Day celebrated?

Traditionally, children will get their mothers flowers, greeting cards, letters or a gift. Families may also have a special meal or take mom out to brunch or dinner on Mother's Day. Be warned, you need to plan. Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants as families take mom out for either brunch or dinner.

Mother's Day is celebrated differently around the world. In Thailand, according to History.com, the holiday is in August on the birthday of the late Queen Mother Sirikit. In Ethiopia, families gather for a multiday celebration of motherhood called Antrosht.