Panama celebrates Mother’s Day on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Panama’s date links the celebration of mothers with a major Catholic feast honoring the Virgin Mary. Unlike the second-Sunday-in-May tradition used in the United States and many other countries, Panama observes Mother’s Day on a fixed date each year. December 8 is also a national public holiday in Panama.
The date was adopted in 1930 under Law 69. Accounts of the decision differ in detail: one tradition credits the proposal to the wife of President Florencio Harmodio Arosemena, while another highlights politician Aníbal D. Ríos and an earlier campaign to establish the holiday.
The answer is often confused with the Philippines, where December observances existed historically but the modern custom is generally associated with May. Spain also formerly had a December 8 connection, but its Mother’s Day observance moved to May in the 1960s. Panama retains the December tradition.