It’s hard to imagine a Mother’s Day without flowers and chocolates showering your mom while her gold halo glimmers in the sunlight. OK, so maybe you don’t have it together enough every year to plan out a gift for your angelic mother ahead of time, but you definitely send her a flower arrangement from the local florist or give her a phone call to show your gratitude.

Mother’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for us at Chappells Florist. Because of this, we decided to delve into some of its history and traditions to make this our most knowledgeable Mother’s Day yet.

To start, have you ever wondered whether it’s Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? And why? Anna Jarvis founded the Mother’s Day holiday in the U.S. to honor mothers. She wanted to set aside a day to honor “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world,” and she worked hard to make it a national holiday by 1914 (though it had been celebrated by all states by 1911). Jarvis was explicit that the holiday be Mother’s Day with the apostrophe before the “s” so that it honored each mother individually.

Jarvis may have gotten the holiday going in the U.S., but it has changed immensely since her initial grassroots efforts. Many countries have adopted the holiday with some slight twists of their own, and others already had a date to honor the country’s mothers. Here’s what it looks like around the world today:

Argentina

Argentinians celebrate Mother’s Day on the third Sunday of October, which will be Oct. 21 this year. Originally it was celebrated on Oct. 11, which coincided with the Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin. When the feast’s date was updated in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, Argentinians kept with tradition by celebrating in October (though they moved the date to the third Sunday).

Australia

Like in the U.S., Australians celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. However, the tradition was started by Australian Janet Heyden when she visited Newington State Home for Women and met mothers who were lonely and whose families didn’t visit often. Through her efforts, local school children and businesses donated and brought gifts to the women, and a tradition was born.

Belgium

Most people in Belgium celebrate Moederdag on the second Sunday of May with the common breakfast in bed and handmade cards. However, the city of Antwerp celebrates Mother’s Day on Aug. 15 instead! This day is the Assumption of Mary and people in Antwerp consider it the classical Mother’s Day.

China

Carnations were the initial flower for Mother’s Day in the U.S., but the majority of Americans no longer gift them for the holiday. In China, however, carnations are the most sold flowers around the holiday. In 1997 Mother’s Day was designated as a day to help poor mothers and to remind people of poor mothers in areas like China’s western region. The western holiday has been widely accepted because of its filial piety — virtue of respect for someone’s parents, elders, and ancestors.

Egypt

Mother’s Day — or should we say Mummy's Day — in Egypt is celebrated on March 21 every year because it’s the first day of spring.

France

Mother’s Day in France was actually more inspired by anti-depopulation efforts than by the U.S. holiday. The French government made the day official in 1920 — as a day to celebrate mothers of large families. By 1941, the holiday was still used to encourage larger families, but all mothers were now honored; by the 1950s it was heavily commercialized and had lost the original intent to encourage women to have more children.

Indonesia

Mother’s Day is celebrated on Dec. 22, the anniversary of the opening day of the first Indonesian Women Congress.

Japan

Just like China, Japan is well known for gifting the traditionally western Mother’s Day flower: carnations. Mother’s Day was initially celebrated on March 6 to commemorate Empress Kōjun’s birthday, but the official date changed to the second Sunday of May in 1949.

Mexico

Though the holiday was imported from the U.S., in the 1920s in Mexico it was used to try to promote a more conservative role for mothers in families. However, this was criticized by socialists and was unsuccessful. Today, Día de las Madres is on May 10 every year, the day it was very first celebrated in the country. Music can be heard throughout the streets this day, especially in the mornings because people will visit their mothers and sing to her alone or with a mariachi band.

Samoa

Like in the U.S., Samoans celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. However, the Monday following is a national holiday to honor mothers as well!

Thailand

Mother’s Day in Thailand is celebrated on Aug. 12, the birthday of Queen Sirikit.

United Kingdom

Known as Mothering Sunday in the U.K., the holiday falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (March 11 in 2018). Though the date is still unique to the U.K., the holiday itself has taken on more of the U.S. tradition of showing appreciation for mothers.

Perhaps some of these traditions or dates resonated with you and you can incorporate them into your celebrations this year. Whatever you do, make sure to show appreciation and gratitude for your mother — gifting flowers is a sure way to let her know you care. Reach out to us today at Chappells Florist for flower delivery so we can help you give her the perfect bouquet.