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Mother's Day in United States

Quick Facts

Mother's Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the role of mothers in general and, in particular, your own mother.

Name

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2008

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009
See list of observations below
In the United States, Mother's Day is held on the second Sunday of each May. It is a celebration of motherhood and a time to show appreciation of your mother. Many people give gifts, cards, flowers, candy, a meal in a restaurant or other treats to their mother, grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

Mothers and mother figures are remembered on Mother's Day. Illustration based on artwork from ©iStockphoto.com/JBryson

What do people do?

Many people send cards or gifts to their mother or make a special effort to visit her. Common Mother's Day gifts are flowers, chocolate, candy, luxurious clothing, jewelry and treats, like a beauty treatment or trip to a spa. Some families organize an outing for all of their members or hold a special meal at home or in a restaurant. In the days and weeks before Mother's Day, many schools and Sunday schools help their pupils to prepare a handmade card or small gift for their mothers.

Public life

Mother's Day is not a federal holiday. Organizations, businesses and stores are open or closed, just as they are on any other Sunday in the year. Public transit systems run to their normal Sunday schedules. Restaurants may be busier than usual, as some people take their mothers out for a treat.

Background

The origins of Mother's Day lie in the pacifist movement. Two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis were important in establishing the tradition of Mother's Day in the United States. Around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother's Day to be celebrated each year to encourage pacifism and disarmament amongst women. It continued to be held in Boston for about ten years under her sponsorship, but died out after that.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother's Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. Ann Jarvis had organized 'Mother's Day Work Clubs' to improve health and cleanliness in the area, where she lived. Anna Jarvis launched a quest for Mother's Day to be more widely recognized. Her campaign was later financially supported by John Wanamaker, a clothing merchant from Philadelphia.

In 1908, she was instrumental in arranging a service in the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church has now become the International Mother's Day Shrine. It is a tribute to all mothers and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Later Mother's Day moved away from its pacifist origins to being a recognition of the roles of all mothers. In recent years, Mother's Day has become an increasingly important event for businesses. This is particularly true of restaurants and those manufacturing and selling cards and gift items.

Mother's Day Observances

WeekdayDateYearNameHoliday typeWhere it is observed
SunMay 111980Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 101981Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 91982Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 81983Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 131984Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 121985Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 111986Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 101987Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 81988Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 141989Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 131990Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 121991Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 101992Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 91993Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 81994Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 141995Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 121996Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 111997Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 101998Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 91999Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 142000Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 132001Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 122002Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 112003Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 92004Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 82005Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 142006Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 132007Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 112008Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 102009Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 92010Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 82011Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 132012Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 122013Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 112014Mother's DayObservance 
SunMay 102015Mother's DayObservance 

Related holiday

Other holidays in May 2008 in United States

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