Mother’s Day

Modern date, ancient devotion

Second Sunday of May is celebrated as Mother’s Day. But beyond the commercial cheer, Mother’s Day is rooted in a deeper sentiment, one that India has lived for centuries, long before it had a name. It has been observed through spiritual practices and cultural traditions

The modern observance of Mother’s Day began in 1908 in the United States, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial service in honour of her late mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis. Ann had organised Mother’s Day Work Clubs during the American Civil War to support wounded soldiers and promote public health. Inspired by her mother’s compassion, Anna campaigned for a national day to honour mothers, which was officially recognised by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.

Yet, even as the holiday spread worldwide, becoming popular in India in the early 2000s, the reverence for motherhood has long been woven into the cultural and spiritual fabric of Indian life.

This reverence manifests vividly across the country’s diverse traditions. Navratri, marked in states like Gujarat and Maharashtra, venerates feminine power through goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, spiritual embodiments of nurturing, wisdom, and strength.

In the south, celebrations like Vishu and Ugadi often include symbolic offerings to maternal elders. These customs, while not labelled as ‘Mother’s Day,’ quietly celebrate the maternal role in both familial and societal contexts.

Even in the political imagination, India honours motherhood. Bharat Mata, the motherland personified, and historical figures like Jijabai, mother of Shivaji, reflect how maternal influence shapes legacies.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis herself would later protest the growing commercialisation of Mother’s Day, dismayed by what she saw as a betrayal of its heartfelt origins. In India too, while school events and shopping discounts now mark the day in urban spaces, the essence remains more enduring,quiet acts of devotion, care, and sacrifice lived daily.

India may have borrowed the date, but not the emotion. Mother’s Day here is both a modern observance and an ancient instinct, celebrated every day, in small, sacred ways.