This countdown updates live in your local timezone.
When is Mother's Day?
Mother's Day falls on Sunday, May 9, 2027.
About Mother's Day
Mother's Day in the United States, Canada, Australia and many other countries falls on the second Sunday of May each year. It is a day to honour mothers, motherhood and the bond between mothers and children. The modern American Mother's Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 in memory of her own mother, and President Woodrow Wilson gave it official recognition in 1914. People typically mark the day with cards, flowers, often carnations, gifts and meals out, and it is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants and florists. The United Kingdom and Ireland are an exception, since they keep Mothering Sunday on a different date, the fourth Sunday of Lent, which moves with Easter each year.
Anna Jarvis, who founded the modern US Mother's Day, came to oppose its commercialisation bitterly in later life, and she was reportedly arrested in 1948 for protesting at a Mother's Day event. The day is now one of the biggest spending occasions of the year in the United States, and the National Retail Federation has reported total spending above $30 billion in recent years. Restaurants often record their busiest day of the year on Mother's Day, ahead even of Valentine's Day. Mexico keeps one of the largest celebrations, always on May 10 whatever the weekday. Several Spanish-speaking Latin American countries use other dates again, and Argentina marks the day on the third Sunday of October.
Frequently asked questions
When is Mother's Day?
In the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries, Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday of May, so the date moves each year between May 8 and May 14. The United Kingdom and Ireland are different, keeping Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent, usually in March. Mexico fixes its Mother's Day on May 10. Because the date varies so much from country to country, it is always worth checking the date that applies where you are.
Who started Mother's Day?
The modern American Mother's Day was founded by Anna Jarvis. After her mother died in 1905, Jarvis campaigned for a day to honour mothers, and the first observance was held in 1908 in West Virginia. The idea spread quickly, and President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a national Mother's Day in 1914, set on the second Sunday of May. Jarvis later regretted how commercial the day became and spent years, and much of her own money, fighting the florists, card makers and confectioners she felt had taken it over.
Why is Mother's Day on a different date in the UK?
The UK does not follow the American Mother's Day. Instead it keeps Mothering Sunday, a much older Christian observance, on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Because Lent is tied to Easter, that date moves and usually falls in March, several weeks before the American date in May. The two became blended in British usage, so people in the UK now say Mother's Day, but the date still follows the old Lenten rule rather than the second Sunday of May.
Why are carnations linked to Mother's Day?
Carnations became the flower of Mother's Day through its founder, Anna Jarvis. Her mother had been fond of carnations, and Jarvis handed them out at early Mother's Day events. She suggested that a white carnation honoured a mother who had died and a coloured one a mother still living. Florists took up the flower, and it remains a traditional Mother's Day gift, though roses and mixed bouquets are now just as common. The link began as a personal tribute rather than an old custom.
Is Mother's Day a public holiday?
Mother's Day is not a public holiday in the United States, the United Kingdom or most other countries. Because it falls on a Sunday in many places, including the US and UK, the question of a day off rarely arises. It is an observance rather than an official holiday, with no closures of offices or schools attached to it. A small number of countries that mark the day on a fixed weekday treat it as a holiday, but that is the exception rather than the rule.