Brits just discovering why Mother’s Day isn’t on same day every year

Mother’s Day is this Sunday (15th March), with people across the nation marking the occasion to honour the maternal figures in their lives, whether that’s mothers, grandmothers, aunties, or even dear friends. But have you ever questioned why the date for this celebration varies so considerably each year?

Typically Mother’s Day falls in March, though it doesn’t have a set date. While it’s always observed on a Sunday, despite landing mid-month this year, it took place on 30th March in 2025, 10th March in 2024, and will occur on 7th March in 2027.

The British observance also differs substantially from its American counterpart, which consistently falls on the second Sunday in May. There’s a perfectly logical explanation for this – they’re actually entirely separate occasions.

What Brits commonly refer to as Mother’s Day is in fact Mothering Sunday, and it wasn’t originally intended as a tribute to our maternal figures. Rather, it’s a religious observance held on the fourth Sunday of Lent, alternatively known as Mid-Lent Sunday or Refreshment Sunday.

Lent is a Christian period commencing on Ash Wednesday and concluding just prior to Easter. Easter Sunday’s date fluctuates annually because it’s observed on the first Sunday following the first astronomical full moon occurring after the vernal equinox, which remains fixed at 21st March.

Easter’s shifting date consequently alters when Lent commences, which subsequently determines when the midpoint of Lent, and thus Mothering Sunday, is observed. The reasoning behind the differing date was clarified in a Reddit post on the Explain Like I’m Five forum, where users pose questions and receive responses written in straightforward, accessible language that even a young child could comprehend.

When questioned about why Mother’s Day falls on separate dates in the UK and the US, one respondent clarified: “UK Mother’s Day actually isn’t Mother’s Day at all: it’s Mothering Sunday, and was the day that people would visit the ‘mother church’ – usually the nearest cathedral – for a special service on the 4th Sunday in Lent.

“It didn’t have anything to do with mothers really, but domestic servants were given the day off to visit their mother churches, and would use the chance to also visit their families.”

In America, Mother’s Day was established in 1908 by a woman named Anna Jarvis, who wished to commemorate her mother and advocated for a dedicated day celebrating all mothers.

At the same time, the custom of Mothering Sunday was declining in Britain, and people started to connect it with mothers and embraced it as the UK equivalent of the American celebration.

The British Library website suggests that while Mothering Sunday initially bore no specific connection to mothers, it was typical for servants to return home to see their families during this period, and is especially prevalent for female domestic workers to spend time with their mothers and even present them with gifts.

Citing a volume entitled The Revising of Mothering Sunday from 1921 by C. Penwick Smith, the website states: “With these she collected a body of evidence for the traditions surrounding Mid-Lent Sunday, which ranged from the practice of daughters visiting their mothers – especially important for those engaged as domestic servants away from home – to the gifts of simnel cakes or wafer cakes.

“Smith aimed to show that there was already an international tradition of honouring mothers of all types on the 4th Sunday in Lent, and this only needed to be strengthened through official recognition.”

Whether you mark Mothering Sunday with relatives or continue attending your mother church to observe the custom’s heritage, we trust you’ll have a wonderful day!