Mother’s Day: Easy ways to make your mom feel special
Here are some easy ways to celebrate your mom this Mother’s Day.
Problem Solved
You (hopefully) know that Mother’s Day is coming up in America on Sunday, May 11.
But, did you know that’s not the only Mother’s Day? England, for example, celebrated Mother’s Day back on March 30.
And people of Mexican, Salvadoran or Guatemalan descent will be celebrating on May 10. Called Dia de la Madres this year the holiday lines up almost exactly with Mother’s Day, but Dia de la Madres started in the 1920s and is always celebrated on May 10. (American Mother’s Day was passed by Congress in 1914.)
Dia de la Madres is celebrated by families gathering to pay respect to their mothers. Dia de la Madres is a day to honor the sacrifices and hardships endured and give space for mothers to be shown the same love and adoration that they give to their families.
Rhode Island has large populations from Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala, with those countries representing 3 of the 10 most common countries of origin for immigrants to the Ocean State in 2024.
Here’s everything to know about Dia de la Madres, how it started, how it is celebrated and why it holds a special place in Mexican culture.
When is Mexican Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day, or Dia de las Madres, is celebrated every year on the same date: May 10.
People in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and others in the diaspora across the world observe this holiday and pay homage to their mothers on this date.
Why is Mexican Mother’s Day always on the 10th?
Celebrating Dia de las Madres on May 10 is a tradition that started over 100 years ago.
In 1922, a journalist named Rafael Alducin called for Mexico as a nation to decide on a day to pay respects to Mexican mothers.
The result was that May 10 became that day and as the Yucatan Times notes, Mexico became the first Latin American country to recognize a day to pay homage to and recognize the important roles that mothers play.
However, celebrating motherhood is not a new concept in the continent.
Indigenous communities across the region have been built around matriarchs foundational to various cultures’ identities. Motherhood and fertility are commonly celebrated and considered sacred, with some communities having deities representing their importance.