Mother's Day 2025: Why is Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May?
Discover the origins of Mother's Day and why it’s celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
Mother's Day is celebrated every year on the second Sunday in May, but have you ever wondered why this date was chosen? The history behind the holiday’s timing is both fascinating and deeply rooted in cultural traditions.
The holiday has been celebrated across the world and throughout history with many different names as a way to thank a superior force for fertility and life. However, the modern version and the one we celebrate every year, only began in the early 20th century and originated in the United States.
The origins of Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day owes its origins to individuals like Anna Jarvis, who sought to honor her own mother and others like her. Everything started in 1870, when Julia Ward Howe, after witnessing the horrors of the Civil War, started advocating for a caused called "Mother's Day for Peace". Howe dedicated the celebration to the eradication of war, and organized festivities in Boston for years.
Mother's Day was originated in the United States. Photo: El Comercio
In 1905, Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis, successfully introduced the idea for a national holiday recognizing mothers. Her mother had been a follower of Julia Ward Howe's campaign, and when she died, she missed her dearly. Anna Jarvis launched her own letter-writing campaign to declare an official Mother's Day. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May.
Why was the second Sunday of May chosen for Mother's Day?
The selection of the second Sunday of May is both due to historical and practical reasons. For starters, the religious ties make the date a perfect fit for the holiday, as it aligns with the Feast of the Virgin Mary.
However, everything did not turned out ok. While it was President Woodrow Wilson who declared the holiday would be celebrated on the second Sunday of May, Anna Jarvis was upset with the fact that over the years, Mother's Day had lost it's meaning to become a commercialized version.
