Growing up in the United States, I would always anticipate the second Sunday of May, because that was Mother’s Day. My dad and I would bring flowers, cards, and gifts for my mother and grandmother. On Mother’s Day, all mothers are special to their families and society. Â
My mother and grandmother are the luckiest people alive. Why? We don’t just celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May, we also celebrate it on March 21 every year. That day is Egyptian Mother’s Day, coinciding with the start of spring. Spring is a time of fresh starts, gentleness, and turning over new leaves.Â
did mother’s day start with the ancient Greeks and Romans?
Nope! The origins of Mother’s Day are actually traced back to the time of the Pharaohs, according to Egyptian Streets. In Egyptian mythology, Isis, one of the most famous deities for Ancient Egyptians, was seen as a mother-like figure to her son Horus, who was born from her husband Osiris’ remains. She was also seen as the mother of all Ancient Egyptian deities. So, Egyptians would celebrate her every spring.Â
The Ancient Greeks and Romans started their own celebrations similar to Ancient Egypt. This is evident because these civilizations came after Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt inspired the Greeks and Romans to take inspiration. Centuries later, Christian countries were then inspired by the Greeks and Romans. They would celebrate Mother’s Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent, as a time for people to spend time with their mothers.Â
What about in the united states and Modern egypt?
Fast forward to 1908 and Anna Jarvis, an American activist, advocates for a public holiday in the United States to recognize all mothers. Eventually, President Woodrow Wilson made that vision come true in 1914, where it is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, as we all know today. That is also the time of month when Jarvis’ mother died.Â
In Egypt, a journalist named Mustafa Amin was inspired directly by Jarvis to revive Mother’s Day. It was not easy at first to sway the government to make it a public holiday. But just like in the United States, the Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, made Mother’s Day an official holiday on March 21, 1956. Other Middle Eastern countries were directly inspired to celebrate Mother’s Day on the same day (as you will see in the map below).
How similar is mother’s day in the united states compared to Egypt?
They are very similar! Celebrating mothers is a universal language. There are other versions of Mother’s Day around the world. In both places, mothers are given gifts, cards, flowers, etc,. Families usually do activities surrounding the mother, such as going out to her favorite restaurant to eat. Also in both places, Mother’s Day used to have religious ties, but they are now completely secular.Â
While Mother’s Day is not nearly as famous as Halloween or Christmas, it still deserves to be celebrated. Mothers have a major influence on who we are today. We developed inside of our mothers for nine months, and then a lot of us were raised by them, as a guiding force in life. In fact, some Gen Zers are mothers today. So as their children, it is only our duty to give back and show our mothers that we support them.
It is nowhere near Mother’s Day by the time this is being published, but since February is associated with love, it can extend beyond romantic partners or friends. Strong love bonds exist with our mothers too. They have always been there for us, even if we have no one. With all that being said, Happy Egyptian Mother’s Day!Â