This upcoming Sunday, May 14th we will be celebrating Mother’s Day in the United States, but we often forget that love for our mothers transcends location and culture. As shown on the map below, the vast majority of the world takes the time to acknowledge and celebrate the mothers in their lives at least once a year.
Although a majority of the world observes, Mother’s Day during the month of May, it is celebrated on different dates and in different ways around the globe. Here are a few of our favorite ways mothers are uniquely celebrated around the world.
Mother’s Day in Peru
In Peru, Mother’s day is observed on the second Sunday of May but it is often a week-long celebration. Mothers attend museums, festivals, and other forms of entertainment for free during Mother’s Day and are showered with flowers and gifts. The Peruvian culture embraces and celebrates life after death so graveyards often become festive scenes in which family members come to visit, eat, and tell stories of their deceased loved ones.
Mother’s Day in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, Mother’s Day is celebrated for a span of 3 days and begins on the second Sunday of May. This 3-day celebration is called Antrosht and calls for the whole family to gather and enjoy traditional Ethiopian meals together. Two important food items enjoyed during Mother’s Day are ‘hash’ and Ethiopian ‘punch’. Hash is a combination of lamb or bull, vegetables, butter, and Ethiopian spices and Ethiopian punch is a mixture of lemon juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, white grape juice and Rosebery syrup. After eating, families sing, dance and enjoy each other’s company.
Mother’s Day in Japan
In Japan, Mother’s Day is called Haha no Hi and falls on the second Sunday of May. A Mother’s Day festival is usually held for the mothers in town. Mothers are traditionally taken out to eat and celebrated with traditional Japanese gifts, such as kimonos, kokeshi dolls, tenegui and cards. The Japanese culture reveres flowers more so than gifts so children and husbands make it a point to give the mothers in their lives flowers. Red carnations are traditionally given on Mother’s day since they are believed to symbolize a mother’s kindness, purity, and generosity.
These are but a few in a long list of countries that celebrate Mother’s Day in beautifully unique ways around the globe. In a world filled with so much diversity, geography is key to understanding cultures around the globe.