DigiNepal · festivals
Mother's Day (आमाको मुख हेर्ने दिन / मातातीर्थ औंसी (Nepali), عيد الأم (Arabic)). Region: Worldwide; dates differ by country. Tradition: Secular observance; Hindu in Nepal (Mata Tirtha Aunsi). Calendar: Second Sunday of May in most countries; Laetare Sunday in the UK and Ireland; 21 March in Arab countries; Baisakh krishna aunsi in Nepal. Dates: United States, Canada, India, Australia, Japan and most countries (second Sunday of May) 2026: Sunday 10 May 2026 [computed]; United States, Canada, India, Australia, Japan and most countries (second Sunday of May) 2027: Sunday 9 May 2027 [computed]; United States, Canada, India, Australia, Japan and most countries (second Sunday of May) 2028: Sunday 14 May 2028 [computed]; United Kingdom and Ireland (Mothering Sunday) 2026: Sunday 15 March 2026 [computed]; United Kingdom and Ireland (Mothering Sunday) 2027: Sunday 7 March 2027 [computed]; United Kingdom and Ireland (Mothering Sunday) 2028: Sunday 26 March 2028 [computed]; Arab countries (21 March) 2026: Saturday 21 March 2026 [computed]; Arab countries (21 March) 2027: Sunday 21 March 2027 [computed]; Arab countries (21 March) 2028: Tuesday 21 March 2028 [computed]; Nepal (Mata Tirtha Aunsi) 2026: Friday 17 April 2026 (BS 2083 Baisakh 4; वि.सं. २०८३ ४) [computed]; Nepal (Mata Tirtha Aunsi) 2027: Thursday 6 May 2027 (BS 2084 Baisakh 23; वि.सं. २०८४ २३) [computed]; Nepal (Mata Tirtha Aunsi) 2028: Monday 24 April 2028 (BS 2085 Baisakh 12; वि.सं. २०८५ १२) [computed]. History and significance: The modern Mother's Day was promoted by Anna Jarvis in the United States and made a national observance there in 1914, on the second Sunday of May. The United Kingdom keeps the older church custom of Mothering Sunday in Lent, and many Arab countries mark it on 21 March. In Nepal, Mata Tirtha Aunsi is the day children look upon their mother's face with gifts and sweets, and those who have lost their mother visit the Mata Tirtha pond near Kathmandu. Key rituals and foods: Cards, flowers and gifts; in Nepal sweets, fruit and new clothes for mothers and a pilgrimage to Mata Tirtha. Date basis: official = matches a government gazetted holiday list; computed = calculated from the calendar system (tithi astronomy with skyfield and JPL DE421, Hijri Umm al-Qura, Chinese, Korean and Hebrew calendar libraries, or the fixed rule); expected = Umm al-Qura projection pending moon sighting. Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata (CC BY-SA / CC0) and national holiday rules, summarised in our own words.