When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox Mother’s Day in the United States falls this weekend, on Sunday, May 12, whilst in the UK Mother’s Day was March 22. The day celebrates mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds and the positive impacts they have made on our lives. There are many traditions for Mother’s Day which stem from the original implementation of the day. Mother’s Day was established by Anna Jarvis following the death of her mother, Ann Jarvis, on May 9, 1905. Traditions include going to church, giving mothers flowers - carnations are often the flower of choice - and families sitting down to eat together. Carnations are frequently given as on the first Mother’s Day celebration, Anna Jarvis delivered 500 of the flowers as they had been her mother’s favourite. Greetings cards for the occasion soon began to be made, and now Mother’s Day is the third largest holiday in the United States for sending cards.<doc-sep>On Sunday, Americans, Australians and Italians will celebrate Mother’s Day – nearly two months after we marked the occasion in the UK. Google is participating in the celebrations too, with a Google Doodle appearing for users in every country partaking in the festivities. These include the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Japan and a number of European countries such as Iceland, Italy, Finland and Germany. The Doodle itself features a large smiling cartoon sunflower surrounded by three sunflower seeds. But why is Mother’s Day celebrated on a different day in the UK? And when did it start? Why do we celebrate Mother’s Day in March in the UK? In the UK, Mother’s Day is formally known as Mothering Sunday. It takes place on the fourth Sunday of Lent and was traditionally a day on which Christians were encouraged to visit their “mother church”. The best Google Doodles Show all 50 1 /50 The best Google Doodles The best Google Doodles Mister Rogers Google Doodle celebrating children's TV presenter Mister Rogers Google The best Google Doodles Lucy Wills Google Doodle celebrating haematologist Lucy Wills Google The best Google Doodles Falafel Google Doodle celebrating falafel Google The best Google Doodles St George's Day Google Doodle celebrating St George's Day Google The best Google Doodles James Wong Howe Google Doodle celebrating Hollywood golden age cinematographer James Wong Howe Google The best Google Doodles Seiichi Miyake Google Doodle celebrating Seiichi Miyake, developer of tactile paving Google The best Google Doodles Walter Cronkite Google celebrates US broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite's 100th birthday The best Google Doodles Lantern Festival 2016 Google celebrates the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a doodle of the Lantern Festival Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating 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Google celebrates Ladislao José Biro's 117th birthday The best Google Doodles Amalia Hernandez Google Doodle celebrating ballet choreographer Amalia Hernandez Google The best Google Doodles Dr Samuel Johnson Google Doodle celebrating lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson Google The best Google Doodles British Sign Language Google Doodle celebrating British Sign Language Google The best Google Doodles Eduard Khil Google Doodle celebrating baritone singer Eduard Khil Google The best Google Doodles Fourth of July Google Doodle celebrating Fourth of July Google The best Google Doodles Victor Hugo Google Doodle celebrating author Victor Hugo Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Steve Biko Today's Google Doodle features anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko Google The best Google Doodles The history of tea in Britain Google celebrates the 385th anniversary of tea in the UK The best Google Doodles Nettie Stevens Google celebrates geneticist Nettie Stevens 155th birthday The best Google Doodles William Morris Google celebrates English polymath William Morris' 182 birthday with a doodle showcasing his most famous designs Google The best Google Doodles Professor Scoville Google marks Professor Scoville’s 151st birthday The best Google Doodles Sophie Taeuber-Arp Google marks artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 127th birthday But over the years, the day has became better-associated with family reunions and children working away from home would acknowledge the day by returning home to pay a visit to their mothers. Now it’s akin to the US celebration and its religious roots are have been usurped by promotional campaigns encouraging children to shower their mothers with flowers, cards and gifts. How did the US begin celebrating Mother’s Day in May? The American Mother’s Day does not have religious connotations and was formally established by President Wilson in 1914 after a campaign was launched by an American woman from West Virginia named Anna Jarvis, whose own mother died in May. It has since been held every year on the second Sunday of May in the US and several other countries, including Australia. Following the campaign, President Wilson formalised the date, declaring it a “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country”. However, Jarvis is thought to have disapproved of the subsequent commercialisation of the holiday, which she felt overtook its sentimental origins. She even said she regretted starting it and at one point, sought to abolish it. When is Mother’s Day in Mexico? Mexicans celebrate Mother’s Day slightly differently from the rest of the world, marking it via the “Día de las Madres” every year on 10 May. The chosen date is thought to have come about in 1922 after a newspaper editor Rafael Alducin, wrote an article for Mexico City’s newspaper, El Excelsior, touting the benefits of Mother’s Day celebrations and encouraging others do take part in Mexico. The US tradition had already begun to spread to the central American country, but the article was supported by a media campaign and the Catholic Church prompted Mexicans to select a date of their own to celebrate the day, which ended up being 10 May. Like in other countries, people celebrate it by giving their mothers large bouquets of flowers and hosting family gatherings.<doc-sep>Meghan Markle has paid tribute to mums everywhere in a heartfelt Instagram tribute from her and Harry's Sussex Royal account today. The proud new mum shared an adorable picture of baby Archie Harrison 's tiny feet with a touching message to mark Mother's Day in the USA and Commonwealth countries. While the UK celebrated Mother's Day on March 31 this year, today May 12 is Mother's Day in United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, and several countries across Europe. The heartfelt Sussex Royal Instagram message read: "Paying tribute to all mothers today - past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered. "We honour and celebrate each and every one of you. "Today is Mother’s Day in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, and several countries across Europe. "This is the first Mother’s Day for The Duchess of Sussex. "Quote from “lands”: my mother was my first country; the first place i ever lived."<doc-sep>
Myleene Klass shares heartwarming video of daughter's poem Mother’s Day in the UK this year was on March 31, with many families treating the women in their lives to presents, food and drink. The date in the UK shifts year on year, as it always takes place on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This isn’t the same for a number of other countries, which will be celebrating Mother’s Day on May 12. New mother Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry paid tribute to all mothers via the sussexroyal Instagram account. They wrote: "Paying tribute to all mothers today - past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered. "We honour and celebrate each and every one of you. "Today is Mother’s Day in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, and several countries across Europe." Why is Mother’s Day different in the UK and USA? Mother’s Day in the UK is held on Mothering Sunday. The fourth Sunday of Lent was first used by Christians to visit their “mother” church - the main church or cathedral in the area - however over time the occasion is increasingly referred to as Mother’s Day. The date is still officially known as Mothering Sunday in the UK, while the American secular holiday was originally referred to as Mother’s Day. READ MORE: Best greetings, quotes and messages for Mother's Day Mothers Day 2019 USA date: Why is Mothers Day different in the UK and USA? What about Canada? The American Mother’s Day was not founded on religion and was established by Anna Jarvis in the 20th century. The occasion was first celebrated by Ms Jarvis when she held a memorial for her mother Ann at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Her mother was a peace activist who established Mother’s Day workshops for public health, and Anna Jarvis began campaigns to make the day a national holiday in 1905. Ms Jarvis was successful in 1914 when Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation for the date. READ MORE: Catherine Zeta Jones spends Mother's Day at Grand Prix Christians in the UK would go to church on Church Mothering Sunday He proclaimed Mother’s Day would fall on the second Sunday in May as a national holiday to honour all mothers. Carnations are most commonly associated with the holiday, as the flowers were favourites of Anna’s mother. Many other countries now follow suit and observe the American date, despite not being part of the US. Countries which now use the date include Canada, Italy, Greece and Australia. READ MORE: When is mothering Sunday in the UK? Anna Jarvis, the woman who invented Mother's Day