Mother's Day in United States

Mother's Day in the United States is annually held on the second Sunday of May. It celebrates motherhood and it is a time to appreciate mothers and mother figures. Many people give gifts, cards, flowers, candy, a meal in a restaurant or other treats to their mother and mother figures, including grandmothers, great-grandmothers, stepmothers, and foster mothers.

What do people do?

Many people send cards or gifts to their mother or mother figure or make a special effort to visit her. Common Mother's Day gifts are flowers, chocolate, candy, clothing, jewelry and treats, such as 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 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 are attributed to different people. Many believe that two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis were important in establishing the tradition of Mother's Day in the United States. Other sources say that Juliet Calhoun Blakely initiated Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s. Her sons paid tribute to her each year and urged others to honor their mothers.

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.

Mother's Day has become a day that focuses on generally recognizing mothers' and mother figures' roles. Mother's Day has also become an increasingly important event for businesses in recent years. This is particularly true of restaurants and businesses manufacturing and selling cards and gift items.

About Mother's Day in other countries

Read more about Mother's Day.

Mother's Day Observances

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Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday type	Where it is observed
Sun	May 11	1980	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 10	1981	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 9	1982	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 8	1983	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 13	1984	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 12	1985	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 11	1986	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 10	1987	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 8	1988	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 14	1989	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 13	1990	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 12	1991	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 10	1992	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 9	1993	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 8	1994	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 14	1995	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 12	1996	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 11	1997	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 10	1998	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 9	1999	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 14	2000	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 13	2001	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 12	2002	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 11	2003	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 9	2004	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 8	2005	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 14	2006	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 13	2007	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 11	2008	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 10	2009	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 9	2010	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 8	2011	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 13	2012	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 12	2013	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 11	2014	Mother's Day	Observance
Sun	May 10	2015	Mother's Day	Observance

Related holiday

• Father's Day ―Sunday, June 17, 2012

Other holidays in May 2012 in United States

• Loyalty Day ―Tuesday, May 1, 2012
• Law Day ―Tuesday, May 1, 2012
• World Press Freedom Day ―Thursday, May 3, 2012
• National Day of Prayer ―Thursday, May 3, 2012
• Rhode Island Independence Day ―Friday, May 4, 2012
• Cinco de Mayo ―Saturday, May 5, 2012
• National Nurses Day ―Sunday, May 6, 2012
• Primary Election Day West Virginia ―Tuesday, May 8, 2012
• Primary Election Day Indiana ―Tuesday, May 8, 2012
• Truman Day ―Tuesday, May 8, 2012
• Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War ―Tuesday, May 8, 2012
• Lag B'Omer ―Thursday, May 10, 2012
• Confederate Memorial Day ―Thursday, May 10, 2012
• World Migratory Bird Day ―Saturday, May 12, 2012
• Peace Officers Memorial Day ―Tuesday, May 15, 2012
• International Day of Families ―Tuesday, May 15, 2012
• World Information Society Day ―Thursday, May 17, 2012
• Ascension Day ―Thursday, May 17, 2012
• National Defense Transportation Day ―Friday, May 18, 2012
• Armed Forces Day ―Saturday, May 19, 2012
• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development ―Monday, May 21, 2012
• International Day for Biological Diversity ―Tuesday, May 22, 2012
• National Maritime Day ―Tuesday, May 22, 2012
• Towel Day ―Friday, May 25, 2012
• National Missing Children's Day ―Friday, May 25, 2012
• African Liberation Day ―Friday, May 25, 2012
• Shavuot ―Sunday, May 27, 2012
• Pentecost ―Sunday, May 27, 2012
• Memorial Day ―Monday, May 28, 2012
• Whit Monday ―Monday, May 28, 2012
• Jefferson Davis Birthday ―Monday, May 28, 2012
• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers ―Tuesday, May 29, 2012
• World No Tobacco Day ―Thursday, May 31, 2012