Mother's Day 2023: When is it celebrated in the UK, its history and significance

Mother's Day is a celebration dedicated to honouring all the maternal figures of the family or individual including mothers, grandmothers, and more. It is commemorated to honour motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society.

It complements other family-oriented holidays such as Father's Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents' Day.

Mother's Day is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, but most commonly in the months of March or May.

Here's everything you need to know about Mother's Day 2023, including when and how it's celebrated.

When is Mother's Day celebrated?

Mother's day is right around the corner, but it can be quite tricky to keep up with its date. This is because, unlike Christmas or Halloween, it is celebrated on different days in different parts of the world and, in the U.K., it falls on a different date each year, making it hard to keep track of it.

In the United Kingdom, Mother's Day, which originated as Mothering Sunday, is observed on a different date than in the rest of the world. While it usually falls in March, the date is not always the same.

This is due to the fact that the U.K. celebration is rooted in the Christian observance of Lent, a period when people give up bad habits or particular foods in the weeks leading up to Easter. It falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday.

This year, Mother's Day in the United Kingdom will be celebrated on Sunday, March 19.

Mother's Day celebration in other countries

In Nigeria, Ireland and the U.K. Mother's Day is observed on the fourth Sunday of Lent, whereas the majority of nations across the world observe the event on the second Sunday in May, which is this year's May 14.

Other countries such as Russia, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, observe the occasion on March 8 in honour of International Women's Day.

Meanwhile, the holiday is traditionally observed in France on the last Sunday in May, but if that Sunday coincides on Pentecost, it is shifted to the first Sunday in June. Argentina marks mother's day, known as "Dia de la Madre," on the third Sunday of October.

History and origin of Mother's Day

This tradition dates back to the Medieval Ages, when children who had left their homes to work as domestic servants were permitted to visit their home church, which was also known as their "mother" church. Hence, in the beginning, the "mothering" component of the occasion had little to do with how mothers are honoured today.

However, the journey home gradually morphed into a special occasion for families to reunite during spring, and the practice of children collecting flowers for their mothers on the way home eventually became a custom.

The day also evolved into a celebration, as it falls around the time when fasting requirements of Lent were relaxed, garnering the names Refreshment Sunday, Simnel Sunday, and Pudding Pie Sunday.

Today, most people refer to the occasion as "Mother's Day," instead of the traditional "Mothering Sunday," and is mostly influenced by the American holiday celebrated later in the year (May 14, 2023).

The origin of modern Mother's Day was created by Anna Jarvis, in 1907 when she conducted a memorial for her mother Ann Jarvis, a peace activist who treated wounded soldiers in the American Civil War.

Her daughter began to advocate for a day to recognise the important role that mothers play following Ann's death. The idea gained so much traction that all the states in the U.S began observing the holiday by 1911.

In 1914, it had spread so widely that President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day a national holiday "as a public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country"

Mother's Day quickly developed into a significant business opportunity, with Hallmark taking the lead in manufacturing cards by the early 1920s. However, Jarvis resented the materialistic side of the holiday, which took away its sentimental value. She was even arrested for protesting against organisations selling Mother's Day merchandise.

Although Mothering Sunday is technically a different holiday from Mother's Day, the popularity and success of the U.S. holiday led to a resurgence of interest in the traditional observance which had declined in the early 20th century.

How to celebrate Mother's Day?

Mother's Day is an important holiday of the year which calls for a grand celebration for both mothers and children. There are several fun and interesting ways to celebrate Mother's day with your mothers, grandmothers, or other motherly figures in your life.

You can celebrate it by surprising them with a lovely gift or expressing their importance in your life. You can even make them some breakfast in bed, give them some flowers, take them out for a day, or throw them a surprise party.