Mother’s Day is recognized by many countries around the world as a day to celebrate the important contributions mothers make in the lives of their children. In the United States and Canada (as well as many other countries), the date of Mother’s Day is fixed as the second Sunday in May.
The History of Mother’s Day in America
Mother’s Day history in the U.S. officially begins in Grafton, West Virginia. Although several earlier celebrations occurred in various countries (including the United States), Anna Marie Jarvis is traditionally credited with the creation of contemporary Mother’s Day.
On May 9, 1907, Jarvis celebrated Mother’s Day on the second anniversary of the death of her mother by handing out 500 white carnations to the congregation at her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia. Following this “first” Mother’s Day, Jarvis began a quest to gain widespread recognition of Mother’s Day.
On May 8, 1914 the U.S. Congress passed a law specifying the second Sunday in May as an official U.S. Holiday in recognition of mothers.
Mothers Day Date or Mother’s Day Date?
The accepted spelling of Mother’s Day in the United States requires the apostrophe to be placed prior to the “S” in “Mother’s”. This is the exact spelling trademarked by Anna Jarvis in 1912. Jarvis was very specific about the placement of the apostrophe to indicate the singular possessive form of the word.
In this way, each family could honor their individual mother. For example, it is correct to write “Mother’s Day date”, but it is not correct to write “Mothers Day date”.
Mother’s Day Date 2010 – 2022
In the United States, the date of Mother’s Day is fixed by congressional decree as the second Sunday in May. The following list indicates the correct date of Mother’s Day through the year 2020.
- Mother’s Day Date 2010 – May 9
- Mother’s Day Date 2011 – May 8
- Mother’s Day Date 2012 – May 13
- Mother’s Day Date 2013 – May 12
- Mother’s Day Date 2014 – May 11
- Mother’s Day Date 2015 – May 10
- Mother’s Day Date 2016 – May 8
- Mother’s Day Date 2017 – May 14
- Mother’s Day Date 2018 – May 13
- Mother’s Day Date 2019 – May 12
- Mother’s Day Date 2020 – May 10
- Mother’s Day Date 2021 – May 9
- Mother’s Day Date 2022 – May 8
Throughout the world, Mother’s Day has earned a place as one of the most celebrated holidays each year. Large sums of money are happily spent honoring mothers on Mother’s Day, and they deserve it.
