Mother's Day Around the World

Mother's Day is not celebrated on the same date in all countries. In fact, some countries, such as Ethiopia, do not celebrate Mother's Day at all.

Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, just like the United States.

In Cameroon, Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May. On that day, mothers are chosen to lead the worship service in Lutheran churches. Please click here to read a poem honoring mothers, written by Mrs. Gawole for the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Cameroon.

In Mexico, Mother's Day is celebrated on May 10th. It is very common for mothers to be serenaded the night before with mariachis or other types of music. In schools, children prepare dances, poems, songs, plays and presents to honor their mothers. It is a popular day to treat mother to a dinner out or for someone else to prepare a special dinner at home.

In Egypt, Lebanon and most other Arab nations, Mother's Day is celebrated on the 21st of March. Families usually gather for a special celebration and give gifts to their mother to honor her. In Egypt, an "ideal mother" is selected and honored for that year. Click here to read part of a poem honoring mothers by Hafez Ibrahim, or click here for a poem by Mumtaz Nathan from our Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Egypt.

Both Argentina and India celebrate Mother's Day in October. In Argentina, it is the second Sunday of the month, while in India a 10-day festival is held in honor of mothers in early October.

Mother's Day is celebrated on December 22nd in Indonesia. It is common to send flowers or clean the house for mother on this day. A special dinner is prepared to honor her as well.

In Taiwan, the flowers most often associated with Mother's Day are the carnation and day lily. It is common to wear flowers representing one's mother, red if their mother is alive and white if their mother has passed away. Some people wear two flowers, one for their own mother and one for their mother-in-law.

Click here to read a special Mother's Day poem from the Philippines.

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