In Iran, Mother’s Day is tied to the birthday of Fatimah, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
The observance falls on 20 Jumada al-Thani, the sixth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Because the lunar year is shorter than the Gregorian year, the Iranian date moves earlier by roughly 10 or 11 days annually on the Western calendar.
Fatimah, also known as Fatimah al-Zahra, was the daughter of Muhammad and Khadija and the wife of Ali. She is especially revered in Shia Islam, making her an important religious model associated with motherhood, family, and devotion. Iran’s Mother’s Day is also observed as Women’s Day.
A common mix-up is assuming that Iran uses the same second-Sunday-in-May date popular in countries influenced by the American holiday. Iran previously observed a Western-style Mother’s Day on 16 December, but the date changed after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The modern celebration is instead based on Fatimah’s birth anniversary, and its Gregorian date changes each year.