Mother’s Day is a worldwide observance which honours all female caregivers and their role in family life. In Australia, this appreciation of all of the different kinds of mothers is observed annually on the second Sunday of May.
Though it is not a public holiday, it is a celebratory day that is strong in the Australian culture.
Mother’s Day 2019 & 2020 Dates
History of Mother’s Day
Observed by over 40 different countries around the world Mother’s Day is a global celebration of not only mothers, but grandmothers and other female caregivers.
Commonly, it is celebrated in March or May, though there may be other times of the year that the celebration happens in the world. This holiday has different significance for people depending on their culture and society, with historical, religious and other cultural events taking place on this day.
Complimenting this day is the similar celebrations of Father’s Day, and there is now even Grandparent’s Day ad Siblings Day.
The ‘Creator’
The history of Mother’s Day stems back to 1905, when a woman from West Virginia in the United States, named Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church.
Jarvis began a campaign to make this act of commemorating mothers as an annual tradition, making her known in history to be the ‘founder’ of Mother’s Day. Her mother, Ann Jarvis, was a peace activist and cared for wounded soldiers in the American Civil War.
She created a Mother’s Day Work Club, which aimed to address health issues for the greater public. Anna sought to continue her mother’s legacy by creating this official day to not only honour her own mother’s work, but also the work of all mothers as they care for people in their lives.
Making the Day Official
1908 saw the U.S Congress rejecting this proposal to make Mother’s Day an official national holiday, though, with continued support and effort to keep this day in the awareness of the public, the day was casually observed annually by all states by 1911.
Some states even began to recognise this day as an official local holiday, with West Virginia, Anna’s home state, being the first. There is now an international Mother’s Day shrine located in St. Andrew’s Church, where her mother rests.
Finally, the dates weren’t set in the national calendar as an official day, even though it was observed by all states in America. It wasn’t until 1914 that a proclamation was signed to designate the Second Sunday in May as a national annual holiday observance for Mothers Day.
The Commercialisation of Mother’s Day
Though the founding woman of this day celebrated the success of creating this national observance, it’s been noted that Anna Jarvis was unhappy with the way that Mother’s Day has continued to be commercialised throughout the decades.
This began in the 1920s when the long-standing brand Hallmark Cards began to heavily market and sell Mother’s Day Cards to the public on the lead up to the day.
This later created controversy as Anna began to organise boycotts of Mother’s Day in order to bring the awareness back into the importance of being on the sentiment of the day.
This was in reaction to the fact that focus was seemingly shifting to the profits that companies could make in marketing the importance of having to buy gifts and cards in order to celebrate the day ‘properly.’
Though commercialisation only continued to grow, Anna remained in opposition to marketing for Mother’s Day all throughout her life.
More on this interesting history of Mother’s Day can be found here.
Around the World
There are other religious ties to Mother’s day in history, rooted in the Roman Catholic Church, with reverence being directed to the Virgin Mary. Many other churches will also focus this day on the spiritual significance of the Virgin Mary as our ‘saviour mother’.
In the Hindu religious tradition, this observance of recognising the mother figure is celebrated as ‘Mata Tirtha Aunshi’, which means ‘Mother Pilgrimage fortnight’. This is usually celebrated in April or May, with the new moon.
Most western countries, like the United Kingdom, European regions, the United States, and Australia, all celebrate this day in a similar way.
Mother’s Day in Australia
The tradition of holding celebrations of various kinds like family gatherings or other events is how Australia observes Mother’s Day. On the second Sunday of May, families will offer gifts and appreciation to mothers and caregivers.
Janet Heyden, a Sydney woman, was said to have been the instigator of the Mother’s Day tradition of gift giving on this day in Australia in 1924 when she visited many lonely mothers at the Newington State Home for Women.
She enlisted the support of local school children, the general public, and local businesses to donate and offer gifts to these women. It is claimed by some people with an interest in history that Australia began the tradition of gift giving with Ms. Heyden’s generous acts in the 1920s.
Though businesses remain open and operating as usual, without a public holiday being observed, the commercialisation of Mother’s Day in Australia makes the lead up to this day vibrant.
There will annually always be many different sales, marketing focused on gift ideas, and events being held in different locations for people to take part in.
Mother’s Day Activities
To celebrate Mother’s Day, one of the main customs is to give gifts and other acts in appreciation for mother figures, such as relatives, guardians, or close family friends.
Presents can be handmade, or may industries will enjoy a boost in sales with people buying gifts of many kinds, such as beauty, clothes, books, technology and more, for their loved ones. Generally, Mother’s Day in Australia is promoted weeks in advance of the day.
Charity and non-for-profit organisations often host events in different areas, working with communities and the media, especially based on women’s health and women’s rights.
Other establishments will also put on events on this day, like high tea, brushes, parties and other events to celebrate the mother figures.
Other activities could include visits to gardens, movies, and other places of interest, and also taking time outdoors and or a weekend trip away to other areas. Often it’s coastal towns that draw people from the Australian cities to in their time off.
For official Mother’s Day events hosted in different parts of the country, see the example of Sydney here, and continue your search to your area of interest.