In the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated on Sunday, specifically the second Sunday in May. Its fixed weekday distinguishes the holiday from celebrations tied to a single calendar date.
The modern American observance grew from Anna Jarvis’s campaign to honor mothers after the death of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in 1905. The first widely recognized service associated with Jarvis took place in Grafton, West Virginia, on 10 May 1908, at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church.
Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in 1914, and President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation the following day. The holiday commonly includes cards, gifts, family meals, churchgoing and flowers.
Mother’s Day is sometimes confused with Mothering Sunday, a Christian observance traditionally associated with the fourth Sunday of Lent in parts of Britain. Although the names and customs overlap, the American holiday has a different origin and schedule.