Mother's Day 2017 - All You Need To Know About The Day

Mothering Sunday falls on Sunday, March 26 this year - exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday, the day is annually observed as a celebratory day for mums across the UK.

Also the fourth Sunday of Lent, the 24-hours marks the maternal bond that exists between a mum and child - as well as other maternal figures such as grandmothers, mothers-in-law and stepmums.

When is Mother's Day 2017?

In the UK, the event falls on Sunday, March 26. However this date varies all around the world.

How is Mother's Day celebrated?

Mothering Sunday is a Christian celebration that has now become a worldwide event where we show mums how much we appreciate them.

More than 30% of Brits say their mum is the most inspirational person in their life. Mother's Day is traditionally a celebration to observe and celebrate mums, grandmothers and step-mums with flowers, breakfast in bed, gifts and cards.

How did Mother’s Day begin?

The origins of Mother’s Day date back to the ancient Greek times, but the way in which we celebrate it today began in America in the early 20th Century.

The ancient Greeks dedicated an annual spring festival to maternal goddesses, and ancient Romans also celebrated a spring festival called Hilaria which was for a mother goddess called Cybele.

More recent origins of Mothering Sunday date back to the 1600s in England when it was held on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

It was originally a day for Christians to visit their 'mother church'. Servants were given the day off the return to their hometown and worship with their families. Returning home, young people would pick wild flowers to place in the church, or to give to mums. This is why we often given flowers today.

By 1911, Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every US state and on May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution document that confirmed every second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Nowadays the day has moved away from its religious meaning and is mostly just a day to show our mum's - or maternal figures in our life - that we appreciate them.

Why does Mothers Day change each year?

This stems back to its Christian roots. Ever since the 16th century the date has changed annually. It's because the day is linked to Easter, which also moves as its set by the lunar calendar.

You can always tell when it is by Lent - it's the fourth Sunday every year.

So why is it celebrated on different dates around the world?

Here are the dates for your diary if you're in the US or beyond.

UK, Ireland and Nigeria - Fourth Sunday in Lent

US and most other countries - Second Sunday in May

Romania, Slovenia and others - May 7

Egypt, Syria, Iraq and others - March 21

Portugal, Spain and others - First Sunday of May

Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador - May 10

France, Sweden and others - Last Sunday of May (occasionally first Sunday of June)

Poland - May 26

Russia - Last Sunday of November

Indonesia - December 22

So why does it change? In the USA it was established in 1914 thanks to a campaign group during the Civil War. Anna Jarvis, the leader of the group, campaigned for a May date in memory of her own mother - who died that month.

President Wilson formalised the date, but Anna didn't like the commercialisation of the date. The idea was to keep it focused on love and family.

A lot of other countries have taken on the US date due to its meaning.

What to write in your Mother's Day card

Got writer's block? It can be tricky trying to work out what to write, but don't worry we have some easy suggestions. Here are the top ten verses you can add to give your card that special something.

• "The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness" - Honore de Balzac


• "A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest" - Irish proverb


• "Her children rise up and bless her" - Proverbs 31:28


• "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother" - Abraham Lincoln


• "A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them" - Victor Hugo


• "God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers" - Rudyard Kipling


• "Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face" - George Eliot


• "Motherhood: All love begins and ends there" - Robert Browning


• "Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children" - William Makepeace Thackeray


• “A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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