Mother’s Day is a beloved tradition celebrated across the world to honor and express gratitude towards our mothers.
This occasion is marked by showering love and affection to appreciate the sacrifices mothers make for their children.
But, have you ever stopped to ponder the fascinating history and lesser-known trivia surrounding this special day?
Join us on this journey to unravel some interesting facts about mother’s day that will make our appreciation for the occasion even more meaningful.
Amazing facts about mothers Day
1. Mother’s Day is on a different day each year.
More Information: Mother’s Day is not on the same date each year. In the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of May. This year, Mother’s Day will be on Sunday, May 14th, 2023. The numerical date varies each year, so it is important to check the calendar to know the exact date of the celebration.
2. In the vast majority of the world’s languages, the word for “mother” begins with the letter M.
More Information: In the vast majority of the world’s languages, the word for “mother” begins with the letter M. According to Fluency Corp, the word for “mother” in Mandarin Chinese is “Mãma,” in English it is “Mother” or variations such as “Mom,” “Mama,” “Mommy,” or “Mummy,” in Spanish it is “Madre” or “mamá,” in Arabic it is “Māma,” in Malay it is “Ibu,” in Russian it is “мама,” in Bengali it is “Mā,” in Portuguese it is “Mãe,” and in French it is “Mère”
3. Mothers day is popular day for phone calls.
More Information: According to a survey by Florida Blue, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, there are about 122 million phone calls made on Mother’s Day each year in the United States.
In addition, a study by Verizon Communications found that more calls were made on its network on Mother’s Day than any Sunday of the year in 2017. While Mother’s Day used to be the busiest Sunday of the year for telephone volume, it is no longer the case. The heaviest volume typically occurs during a weekday.
4. Mother’s Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday.
More Information: Mother’s Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the United States, with more than 50% of American households sending greeting cards to deserving moms, step-moms, and grandmothers. According to Hallmark Corporate Information, 113 million cards are exchanged annually for Mother’s Day.
This does not include eCards or Facebook shout-outs. Mother’s Day is also the largest card-sending holiday for the Hispanic community. While Mother’s Day may be the third most popular card-giving day overall, it is the second most popular day for giving gifts.
5. Mother’s Day is one of the most popular days of the year for eating out.
More Information: According to a National Restaurant Association survey, approximately 87 million adults went out to a restaurant for a special Mother’s Day meal in 2018. In addition, a new research from the National Restaurant Association found that nearly two in five American adults plan to dine out on Mother’s Day, and 21 million will order restaurant takeout or delivery.
Among families with children under 18, 44% plan to dine out on Mother’s Day and 13% plan on getting takeout or delivery. Consumer spending at restaurants also soared on Mother’s Day Sunday and Saturday in 2020, compared to other days.
6. Mother’s Day is the biggest flower buying day of the year in Britain
More Information: According to Petal Republic, UK consumers spent £1.6 billion on Mother’s Day gifts and experiences in 2019, and flowers were among the most popular Mother’s Day gifts.
The Guardian also notes that high demand for couriers pushes up the costs of flower delivery on Mother’s Day, with most florists charging at least £2-£3 extra for delivery on the day itself. Therefore, it may be more cost-effective to send flowers earlier in the week when they should qualify for cheaper or even free delivery.
7. Mother’s Day is celebrated all over the world.
More Information: According to Wikipedia, Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. While the United States holiday was adopted by some other countries, existing celebrations, held on different dates, honoring motherhood have become described as “Mother’s Day,” such as Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom or, in Greece, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the presentation of Jesus.
Mother’s Day is celebrated in more than 50 countries, including Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, and Belgium, and it is celebrated on the second Sunday of May in these countries.
8. The most popular gift for Mother’s Day is the greeting card.
More Information: The most popular gift for Mother’s Day is the greeting card. According to Petal Republic, the top three most popular Mother’s Day purchases in 2021 were greeting cards, Mother’s Day flowers, and special outings such as meals at restaurants.
Forbes also notes that the most meaningful Mother’s Day gifts show how much you truly appreciate and understand her, but the most popular purchases in 2021 were greeting cards, Mother’s Day flowers, and Mother’s Day flower subscriptions.
9. Approximately $14 billion dollars is spent on Mother’s Day.
More Information: Approximately $14 billion dollars is spent on Mother’s Day. According to Forbes, Mother’s Day spending is projected to be $245.76 per consumer, a record for the holiday, up 11% from last year and up 25% compared to the pre-pandemic level of 2019. Total spending on Mother’s Day is expected to reach $31.7 billion in 2022, up $3.6 billion from 2021’s record spending.
10. Pink and red carnations are given to mothers that are still alive, while white ones are for those that have passed away.
More Information: According to ProFlowers, a red carnation signifies respect for a living mother, while a white carnation is worn or given in honor of a mother who has died.
However, 1800Flowers notes that the white carnation symbolizes motherhood and is used to both honor a mother who has passed away and celebrate a mother who is still living. Pink carnations symbolize a mother’s pure and never-ending love and are ideal if you would like to show appreciation to someone.
11. Mother’s Day is the third highest selling holiday for flowers and plants after Christmas and Hanukkah.
More Information: According to Second Measure, combined, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are responsible for nearly 40 percent of annual flower purchases among top U.S. florists.
Additionally, many online retailers offer Mother’s Day flower sales, such as Amazon, 1-800 Flowers, and Bouqs. Studies have shown that flowers have many benefits, including increasing creativity, innovation, and productivity, as well as improving mood, decreasing fatigue, and lowering blood pressure.
12. Studies show that giving a bouquet of flowers has many positive health and psychological benefits.
More Information: According to Petal Republic, placing a vase of flowers in your office can increase productivity and innovation, while Best Life notes that being around flowers increases the level of compassion that people feel for others and are more willing to extend a helping hand to those in need. Flowers can also have a positive impact on mental health, as giving flowers as an unexpected gift to ourselves or others can improve our mood, decrease fatigue, and lower blood pressure.
Additionally, a study by the Society of American Florists found that both men and women who give flowers are perceived as happy, achieving, strong, capable, and courageous people, and they come across as more emotionally intelligent.
13. Mother’s Day is one of the most popular churchgoing days.
More Information: According to Lifeway Research, between Easter and Christmas, Mother’s Day may be the most likely day people will attend church. In a national poll of 1,000 Protestant pastors, 59% picked Mother’s Day as one of the three highest attendance Sundays throughout the year, behind only Easter and Christmas.
While Mother’s Day is not a church holiday, it is one of the most celebrated holidays in popular culture, and churches often implement creative ideas to honor mothers and make this day special for their congregation.
Mother’s Day History facts
14. In America, Mother’s Day was founded by Anna Jarvis.
More Information: In America, Mother’s Day was founded by Anna Jarvis. Her mother had frequently expressed a desire for the establishment of such a holiday, and after her mother’s death, Jarvis led the movement for the commemoration.
On May 10, 1908, three years after her mother’s death, Jarvis held a memorial ceremony to honor her mother and all mothers at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, today the International Mother’s Day Shrine, in Grafton, West Virginia, marking the first official observance of Mother’s Day.
The International Mother’s Day Shrine has been a designated National Historic Landmark since October 5, 1992. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day an official holiday, to take place the second Sunday of May.
16. Carnations are very popular flowers for Mother’s Day and are thought to be made from the tears of Jesus’ mother, Mary.
More Information: According to YDR, the flowers sprang up from Mary’s tears as she cried over her son’s plight. In 1907, Miss Anna Jarvis selected pink carnations as the symbol for Mother’s Day, and she introduced and supplied white carnations at the first service conducted in Grafton, West Virginia.
The pink carnation is a symbol of a mother’s protective, nurturing, and unconditionally-loving nature, while the red carnation symbolizes love and affection, and the white carnation symbolizes pure love
17. In Greek mythology, spring festivals were held in honor of the maternal goddess called Rhea.
More Information: Rhea was a mother goddess who was associated with fruitfulness and had affinities with Gaea (Earth) and the Great Mother of the Gods (also called Cybele). She was a Titan and the daughter of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea.
Rhea was married to her brother Cronus, who swallowed his children Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon soon after they were born. Rhea concealed the birth of Zeus in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete and gave Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes.
This he swallowed in the belief that it was Zeus. Subsequently, Cronus was vanquished by Zeus and was forced to disgorge the swallowed children.
18. In the 1600s, England celebrated Mothering Sunday on the 4th Sunday of Lent.
More Information: In the 1600s, England celebrated “Mothering Sunday” on the fourth Sunday of Lent as a way to honor the mothers of England. Mothering Sunday was celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter) to honor mothers. Small gifts were given, and a special dessert called a simnel cake was served. Later, the holiday was expanded to include all mothers.
19. The earliest Mother’s Day came from Greece where the ancient Greeks paid tribute to Hera, the mother of the gods in Greek mythology.
More Information: Ancient Greeks had a lot of respect for the mother and honored her accordingly as the life-giver, centuries before Mother’s Day was celebrated in the West. Mother’s Day is a day dedicated to showing thanks for all that our Mothers and Grandmothers do. Most countries around the world have a day for the celebration of the special women in our lives.
20. Mother’s Day spread to England in the middle of the 17th century and the British took the fourth Sunday of Lent as Mother’s Day.
More Information: During the 1600s, England celebrated “Mothering Sunday” on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) as a way to honor the mothers of England. All servants were sent home to their families, and a special cake called the “mothering cake” was often baked. Later, the holiday was expanded to include all mothers.
21. Ancient Egyptians believed cats were sacred animals and revered ‘Bast’ as the mother of all cats on Earth.
More Information: Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet, and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility, and power, respectively. The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat.
Cats were praised for killing venomous snakes and protecting the Pharaoh since at least the First Dynasty of Egypt. Skeletal remains of cats were found among funerary goods dating to the 12th Dynasty. However, contrary to popular belief, the ancient Egyptians did not worship cats.
Rather, they revered them as sacred to deities. Cats were respected for being fierce hunters and protectors of their homes and young.
Final Words:
In conclusion, the fascinating history of Mother’s Day is a testament to the universal appreciation of mothers everywhere.
Exploring interesting fun facts about this special day reminds us of the deep-rooted love and admiration for mothers that transcends time, borders, and cultures.
This Mother’s Day, let’s not only celebrate the maternal figures in our lives but also appreciate the rich history behind this enduring tradition.
From its origins in ancient civilizations to its modern-day status as a cherished holiday, Mother’s Day is a beautiful reflection of the human spirit and the profound impact of our beloved mothers.