page_title: Mother's Day
section_title: United Kingdom
hierarchical_section_title: Mother's Day / International history and tradition / By country (T–Z) / United Kingdom
caption_attribution_description: English: Happy Mother's Day Or should it be " mothers' "? Balloons outside the Exeter branch of Birthday on the High Street in the week before Mothering Sunday.
context_page_description: Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father's Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents Day.
  The modern Mother's Day began in the United States, at the initiative of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century. It is not directly related to the many traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have existed throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the mother god Rhea, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Laetare Sunday celebration. However, in some countries, Mother's Day is still synonymous with these older traditions.
  The American version of Mother's Day has been criticized for having become too commercialized. Founder Jarvis herself regretted this commercialism and expressed that this was never her intention.
context_section_description: The United Kingdom celebrates Mothering Sunday on the Fourth Sunday in Lent (22 March 2020). This holiday has its roots in the church and was originally unrelated to the American holiday. Most historians believe that Mothering Sunday evolved from a medieval practice of visiting one's mother church annually on Laetare Sunday.
caption: Balloons outside, in the week before Mothering Sunday 2008
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