Mother’s Day was first celebrated in Egypt in 1956.
The inaugural observance took place on 21 March 1956, a date chosen to coincide with the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Egyptian journalist Mustafa Amin had promoted the idea for years, including in his 1943 book Smiling America, but the proposal was initially overlooked.
A personal story helped renew the campaign: Amin heard about a widowed mother who had devoted her life to raising her son, only to be neglected after he married. The account encouraged him to press for a public celebration recognising mothers’ work and sacrifice. President Gamal Abdel Nasser eventually accepted the proposal after earlier resistance.
Egypt’s date became influential across the Arab world. Many Arab countries adopted 21 March as their own Mother’s Day, so the observance is often associated with the arrival of spring rather than with the second Sunday in May used in the United States and several other countries. The year 1956 refers specifically to Egypt’s first celebration, not to the holiday’s earliest appearance worldwide.