If you live in Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or the United Kingdom you may not know that the Mothers' Day we celebrate is unique to the rest of the world. 

We celebrate Mother's Day based on the ecclesiastical calendar.  The UK Mother's Day is on the fourth Sunday during Lent. This means that Mothers' Day changes every year.

The only other country in the world to follow this tradition is Nigeria (hence the almost bit).

Our Mothering Sunday is the day where traditionally you would visit the church where you were baptised, or attended regularly as a child - hence the Mother Church.

Nowadays, most people are not aware of this and Mother's Day has become about celebrating mums, maternal figures and those that nurture and care for us.

Other countries around the world celebrate Mothers' Day on different dates.  Here are a few examples:

Australia - 2nd Sunday in May (started in 1924)

USA - 2nd Sunday in May (started in 1911)

Poland - 26th May

Thailand - 12th August

Russia - 8th March (with International Women's Day) and the last Sunday in November).

March 09, 2026 — Sarah Clerke

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