Mother’s Day in Russia in 2024: what date is celebrated, history and traditions

We tell you when Mother’s Day will be in Russia in 2024, and how best to celebrate the holiday.

What date is Mother’s Day celebrated in Russia in 2024?

November 24, 2024 in our country is Mother’s Day. One of the warmest, kindest and most soulful holidays is traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday of November. It completes a series of “family” autumn celebrations. On the third Sunday in October, Russia celebrates Father’s Day, and October 28 is Grandparents’ Day.

History of Mother’s Day

In September 1870, American writer and suffragist Julia Ward Howe wrote an article in Woman’s Journal proposing a holiday for mothers whose sons had suffered from the war. This initiative was later supported by activist Anna Jarvis. She organized the first Mother’s Day celebration, to which Civil War veterans who had fought in opposing armies were invited. They came with their mothers. Then this day became a symbol of reconciliation between the North and South.

In 1914, US President Woodrow Wilson included Mother’s Day on the list of national holidays. It is celebrated every second Sunday in May.

In 1915, Russian scouts from the Petrograd detachment of young scouts, led by scout master Ragnar Fernberg, expressed the idea of ​​​​supporting the tradition of the British and holding Mother’s Day on December 1.

“Scouts should dedicate this day to their mothers, do something nice for them, show their tender family feelings towards them,” said the October issue of the Russian Scout leaflet. But this idea did not take root.

Since 1920, Mother’s Day has been celebrated in France. Women who had many children were given awards from the country’s government for helping to restore the population after the First World War.

Now Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, and, in many cases, in the spring. For example, in Spain and Portugal, celebrations fall on the first Sunday in May, in the USA, Canada, Japan – on the second Sunday in May, in France and Sweden – on the last Sunday in May.

Young mothers on the collective farm “Ilyich’s Path” in the village of Kashino, Volokolamsk district, near Moscow. 1984 Photo: Vladimir Rodionov/RIA Novosti

When did Mother’s Day appear in Russia?

One of the first unofficial Mother’s Day celebrations took place in October 1988. Then a teacher of Russian language and literature from a Baku school, Elmira Huseynova, on her own initiative, organized a school concert for mothers.

In the early 90s, members of the Russian State Duma Committee on Women, Family and Youth Affairs spoke about the need to introduce a holiday. Activists called the purpose of Mother’s Day to promote caring attitude towards the fair sex, strengthening family traditions and foundations. After this, several regions began to celebrate the holiday at the local level.

The first was Yakutia, where in 1993 the third Sunday of October was “fixed” for Mother’s Day. After this holiday appeared in Bashkortostan and the Chelyabinsk region.

In September 1997, the Russian State Duma Committee on Women, Family and Youth Affairs introduced an initiative to add the All-Russian Mothers’ Day to the national calendar. Then Russian President Boris Yeltsin rejected this idea – in his opinion, the introduction of holidays was not within the powers of the federal parliament. But just four months later, on January 30, 1998, he issued a decree on celebrating Mother’s Day in the country “in order to increase the social significance of motherhood.” The last Sunday in November was chosen as the date.

Drawing for my beloved mother. Photo: RIA Novosti

Traditions of celebrating Mother’s Day in Russia

Traditionally, on the last Sunday of November, ceremonial events are held at which eminent mothers are honored. They are given well-deserved awards – for example, parents who raised four or more children are awarded medals and the Order of Parental Glory. Women who gave birth to and raised ten children are given the title “Heroine Mother”. They also give mothers gifts and hold meetings with them where they share their experiences.

In Russia, a large-scale social action “Mom, I love you!” is timed to coincide with the holiday. A week before Mother’s Day, everyone receives cards that they can send to their mothers. Volunteers in many cities distribute gifts to women with children.

The symbol of Mother’s Day is the forget-me-not, which is the personification of eternal love and memory. There are no specific and obligatory gifts, but on this day, as a rule, mothers are given flowers.

The most famous mothers of Russia

In the special project “#Mothers of the Motherland,” we talked about women with a unique destiny who became part of the country’s history.

In the village of Brovakhi, Korsun-Shevchenko district, there is a monument to Mother – local resident Evdokia Lysenko, whose ten sons went to war and all returned.

And the war took away nine sons from Epistinia Stepanova – she raised her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Galina Menshikova from the village of Komsomolskoye, Novonikolaevsky district, Volgograd region, raised 11 children, who gave her 16 grandchildren.

You can read stories of other wonderful, loving and beloved mothers here.