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Mother's Day is a date dedicated to honoring the maternal role and recognizing the love, care, and presence of mothers in family and social life. Although it is celebrated on different dates depending on the country, the essence of the day is universal: to give thanks and value their figure in the construction of bonds and community.
This celebration takes place on the second Sunday of May in around 34 countries, including: Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Canada, the United States, and Australia. However, in others, it is celebrated on the first Sunday of this month, namely: Spain, Portugal, Hungary, South Africa, and Lithuania.
In our country, May 11th is commemorated as National Anthem Day in Argentina, one of the most representative pieces of our identity. In the midst of the independence fervor that marked the month of May, and just three years after the Revolution of 1810, this patriotic song was officially approved. It emerged as part of the symbolic process of breaking away from the Spanish crown: after the creation of the cockade, the flag, and the coat of arms, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata commissioned a march to unite the people under one voice. The lyrics were written by Vicente López y Planes, who was inspired by the atmosphere of the time and the play The 25th of May in the House of Comedy to compose an original piece that lasted about twenty minutes.
On the other hand, Mother's Day in Argentina has a particular historical root. Although the date is associated with a Catholic tradition that commemorates the Maternity of the Virgin Mary, established by Pope Pius XI on October 11, 1931, the country initially decided to celebrate Mother's Day on the Sunday before or after this date. Over time, it was set for the third Sunday in October, seeking to ensure that all families could honor their mothers on a non-working day, making the celebration even more significant.
Unlike Argentina, most countries, including several Latin American ones such as Chile, Brazil, and Peru, celebrate Mother's Day in May. This choice responds to the fact that May is considered the "Month of Mary" in the Catholic tradition, and that many countries have adopted the American custom, officially established in the early 20th century.
In the United States, two influential women fought for Mother's Day to be recognized: poet and activist Julia Ward Howe and Anna Reeves Jarvis. The latter led an active campaign that spread throughout the American territory until it finally achieved results. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially declared that Mother's Day would be celebrated on the second Sunday of May, becoming a national holiday.
The origins of this celebration stem from Egyptian civilization, where the goddess Isis, known as the "Great Mother", was an object of worship and homage. In ancient Greece, the goddess Rhea, mother of the Olympian gods, was also venerated, and in the Roman Empire, the goddess Cybele, the Mother Goddess, was worshiped. These mythological figures were precursors to the idea of honoring motherhood, a tradition that has been adapted and transformed over the centuries.
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