Mother's Day is fast approaching. While many countries around the world, such as the United States, Canada and several European countries (Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, etc.) celebrate it this Sunday, May 12, in France you'll have to wait a little longer, until May 26. But why doesn't France celebrate it on the same day as other countries? It's a question of law.
In France, Mother's Day is enshrined in law, in article n°50-577 dated May 24, 1950, enacted by then President Vincent Auriol. This law proclaims that"each year, the French Republic officially pays tribute to French mothers on a day dedicated to the celebration of Mother's Day. The Minister of Public Health and Population, with the support of the National Union of Family Associations, is responsible for organizing this day.
The law also sets a specific date:"Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May; if this date coincides with Pentecost, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in June", explains the text of the law. This date differs in other countries around the world, each having established it according to its history or the law. In the United States, for example, it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, in homage to the mother of publicist Anna Jarvis, who peddled the initiative. The holiday was signed into law by then President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.
In Europe, other countries have also chosen this date. These include Belgium,Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The reason? At the very end of the First World War, Mother's Day, celebrated by young Americans from relief organizations for occupied populations and by American soldiers, also spread among European soldiers, thanks to the initiative of General Pershing who, in May 1918, ordered the distribution to all his soldiers (including many Europeans) of postcards to be sent to their mothers, in tribute to Mother's Day.
And elsewhere in the world? In Norway, for example, mothers are celebrated on the second Sunday in February. In many countries in and around the Persian Gulf(Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Jordan, etc.), Mother's Day is celebrated on March 21, at the spring equinox. In Argentina, it is celebrated on Día de la Madre, the third Sunday in October... So many countries, so many dates, and one universal celebration. And we wish all mothers a Happy Mother's Day, whatever the date.
