Mother’s Day 2023: When is Mother's Day and why is the UK date different to the US? Tradition explained

Mother’s Day, which is also known as Mothering Sunday, usually falls in March in the UK but the date is not always the same.The UK celebration falls on the fourth Sunday during the period of Lent, when people give up bad habits or certain foods in the days leading up to Easter.

Mother’s Day is a celebration of all maternal figures, whether that be mothers, grandmothers or others. Each year, people come together to show appreciation towards the motherly figure in their lives by gifting chocolate, cards and flowers.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals to honour the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybel. Mothering Sunday in the UK first began as a church tradition, where Christians would visit their ‘mother church’ which is why the date is so-called.