When it comes to mothers, there's no one better than yours.
That's why it's important to send your mom or any other special lady in your life, like a stepmom, grandmother, wife, sister, daughter or best friend, your heartfelt Mother's Day greetings.
Beyond honoring her with a bounty of sweet wishes, it's always nice to to show your appreciation with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a meaningful gift or just by simply spending time with her, which is truly what she wants above all else.
To ensure you have plenty of time to plan Mother's Day activities or prepare her favorite brunch or dinner, you may be wondering, ‘When is Mother's Day in 2024?’
While the holiday always falls on the same weekend every year, the date on the calendar varies from year to year.
So, whatever you're cooking up to celebrate Mom, we've got everything you need to know on when this holiday lands this year, as well as a bit of history on why this day in May is set aside annually and the origin of the holiday.
When is Mother’s Day 2024?
This year, Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 12. The card and flower-filled holiday is on a different date every year, but always takes place on the second Sunday in May.
Is Mother's Day celebrated on the same date around the world?
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Switzerland and Turkey are some of the countries that also honor their moms on Sunday, May 14.
The U.K. celebrates Mother's Day on Sunday, March 19, while Mexico celebrates a few days earlier on Wednesday, March 10. Thailand, however, observes the holiday on August 12, which also happens to be the birthday of Queen Sirikit.
Why do we celebrate Mother's Day?
The celebration dates back to the late 1800s and is a combination of several different events. But it was Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis, a social activist and community organizer, who unintentionally got the ball rolling.
A founder of women's clubs that helped mothers care for their children, Jarvis also organized Mothers’ Friendship Day in 1868, an event intended to bring mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers together in harmony after the Civil War.
From there, suffragette Julia Ward Howe wrote what’s called the Mother’s Day Proclamation two years later in 1870, in an effort to promote world peace and pushed for a Mother’s Peace Day to be celebrated in June.
It was around that time that the idea for some kind of day to honor mothers took hold, but it didn't catch on for at least another 35 years.
Upon Jarvis' death in 1905, her daughter, Anna, began a letter-writing campaign, calling for a Mother's Day to honor not only her mother's work, but for all mothers and the sacrifices they make on behalf of their children.
It was her tireless advocacy for the holiday that led President Woodrow Wilson to sign a proclamation in 1914, officially declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
But here’s where things get interesting. All those cards, carnations and candy you buy for mom today? Jarvis was having none of it. She wanted moms to be celebrated, not commercialized. In the 1920s, she slammed the modern incarnation of the holiday as a materialistic free-for-all.
Even so, Mother's Day remains a treasured day by families everywhere. Letting that special mom in your life know how much she means on Mother's Day, and every other day of the year, can never be a bad thing.
