The true story of Mother's Day: how the holiday appeared in Russia
On the last Sunday of November, the 30th, in 2025, Mother's Day is celebrated in Russia, a relatively young but already firmly rooted holiday. In a short time, he acquired his own traditions, and large-scale thematic events began to appear in cities across the country. Read more about how the celebration originated in the world and in our country, what customs are associated with it, and how you can express gratitude to your mother for her daily work and care in the Izvestia article.
When is Mother's Day celebrated
In Russia, Mother's Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday of November. In 2025, the holiday falls on November 30th.
The date of the celebration was fixed in 1998 by decree of President Boris Yeltsin.
Nadezhda Kapustina, a professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Economics, notes that this choice of number was due to the desire to create their own tradition, different from their Western counterparts.
"The holiday was supposed to be a counterbalance to the commercialization of International Women's Day on March 8 and focus specifically on motherhood as a social mission for women," the expert continues.
The introduction of the official holiday was intended to strengthen the institution of the family and raise the status of motherhood in the public consciousness — values that are once again gaining a special resonance.
The history of Mother's Day: what events are associated with the celebration
Even in ancient times, different peoples had holidays dedicated to motherhood, fertility and the earth. In ancient Greece, for example, more than 2,000 years ago, spring days were celebrated in honor of Gaia, the mother of the gods. Even today, most of the world's religions maintain a special attitude towards motherhood. In the Christian tradition, both Orthodox and Catholic, this image is embodied in the Virgin Mary, the woman who gave life to Jesus Christ and became the symbol of all mothers.
The first prototype of modern Mother's Day in Europe is considered to be Mother's Sunday, which appeared in England around 1600. It was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent, when believers got off work and spent the day with their families. However, the usual format of the holiday was formed much later — at the beginning of the 20th century, recalls Galina Sundukova, associate professor of the Department of Theory and Organization of Management at GUU.
— In 1907, Anna Jarvis, an American from West Virginia, who lost her mother, launched a campaign to establish a national holiday in memory of all mothers. The efforts were not in vain, and in 1910, in the state of Virginia, the authorities agreed with Jarvis and established a new holiday, which fell on the third Sunday in May, the expert says.
Already in 1912, the International Mother's Day Association was established in the United States, engaged in educational activities, and two years later, in 1914, the holiday received federal status. Today, on the second Sunday of May, it is celebrated in more than 20 countries around the world, including the USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Finland, Estonia, Turkey, Japan, Brazil and Australia.
Although the date is the same, the traditions in each country are unique. So, in the USA and Australia, as a sign of love for mothers, carnations are attached to clothes: white — in memory of the departed, red and pink — in honor of the living. In England and Ireland, they bake a traditional Simnel cake, a fragrant cupcake with dried fruits, spices and marzipan. In Japan, a song is dedicated to mothers, which is performed in every home, and the celebration is accompanied by colorful mass festivities.
— In Germany, mothers receive pleasant gifts from their children, husbands and relatives. These are mostly practical gifts. The Germans do not skimp on kind words and attention," adds Galina Sundukova.
Despite the diversity of traditions and differences in dates, the idea of Mother's Day remains universal, it is a celebration of recognition of maternal labor, love and self-sacrifice.
Mother's Day in Russia: when the holiday appeared
The path to the establishment of Russian Mother's Day turned out to be a long one and consisted of several attempts. The idea of celebrating such a holiday was first proposed back in 1915. Then the chief instructor of the Petrograd scout troop, Ragnar Fernberg, organized the celebration on December 1. However, this initiative was not developed during the Soviet period, and motherhood was celebrated as part of International Women's Day on March 8.
A new wave of interest in the holiday arose already at the end of the Soviet era. In October 1988, Elmira Huseynova, a teacher from Baku, held the first "day dedicated to mothers" in city schools. Thanks to her enthusiasm, the holiday became an annual event and gradually became a citywide tradition. Later, after moving to Stavropol, Huseynova continued to promote the idea, and Mother's Day took root there.
Thus began the slow but steady spread of the new tradition across the regions of the country. In 1993, the holiday was officially approved in Yakutia, setting it for the third Sunday in November. Bashkortostan and the Chelyabinsk Region soon took up the initiative.
Mother's Day received federal status in 1998, when President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on the establishment of the holiday. A similar proposal was made by the State Duma Committee on Women, Family and Youth Affairs. However, according to Larisa Mikallef, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, not only legislative decisions, but also the general social atmosphere of the late 1990s played an important role. The growing interest in the topic of parenthood, the search for spiritual guidance and the desire to strengthen the family tradition made the idea of the holiday especially in demand.
— Russia has also taken into account international practices. After all, in many countries Mother's Day has already occupied a place of honor in the calendar, and the national tradition harmoniously fits into this international context, but at the same time retains national emotionality and cultural characteristics, the expert explains.
Thus, the holiday became a reflection of changes in public life, an effort to emphasize respect and appreciation for maternal labor as the most important value.
How Mother's Day is celebrated in Russia
In Russia, Mother's Day has long been an important family holiday. All over the country, families tend to come together to say kind words to their mothers, give flowers, cook their favorite dishes, or just spend time together in an atmosphere of sincerity and gratitude.
Kindergartens and schools are not left out either. Children make postcards in advance, learn poems and songs, decorate exhibitions of drawings. Educational institutions host concerts and special programs dedicated to moms. The city's cultural venues also support the tradition: they organize charity events, exhibitions of children's art, and festive concerts.
A special place on this day is occupied by awards that encourage maternal and parental work. The highest distinction is considered to be the title of "Mother Heroine", awarded to women who have given birth or adopted ten or more children. Together with the title, the mother receives a cash payment in the amount of 1 million rubles. Families with at least seven children are awarded the Order of Parental Glory, an award accompanied by a payment of 500,000 rubles.
Many regions also have their own forms of encouragement. So, in St. Petersburg, parents with many children are awarded the title "For merits in raising families" of three degrees - with cash payments from 25 thousand to 100 thousand rubles. In the Vologda region, mothers can be awarded a special medal of Motherhood, which also has three levels, depending on the number of children. Among the family awards, the medal "For Love and Fidelity" stands out, which is awarded to spouses who have been married for at least 25 years.
The Family of the Year competition, which includes regional and federal stages, has also become a traditional event dedicated to Mother's Day. Thousands of families from different parts of the country participate in it. In 2025, the competition will be held for the tenth time. The symbol of Russian Mother's Day is considered to be a forget—me-not, a flower embodying selfless love, loyalty and tenderness.
The significance of the holiday in modern society
Modern Mother's Day has long ceased to be just a formal occasion for congratulations. According to experts, it has become an important tool for public reflection on the role of motherhood, especially in the context of the transformation of family models and gender relations.
Professor Nadezhda Kapustina emphasizes that in an era when women are actively integrating into the professional sphere and at the same time are responsible for raising children, the holiday is becoming a platform for discussing the problems of supporting motherhood at the state level.
— As a result, the issues of maternity payments, access to preschool education and creating conditions for a balance between work and family are on the agenda. The symbolic recognition of maternal labor through an official holiday contributes to the formation of a public discourse on the value of caring and upbringing as a full-fledged social activity. All this requires not only emotional and physical expenses, but also high qualifications, patience and dedication," the expert notes.
The trend is particularly relevant in the context of demographic challenges faced by many developed countries. Thus, Mother's Day performs not only an emotional, but also a socially significant function, emphasizing the importance of state and public support for parents.
At the same time, the holiday retains a more lyrical, family role. As noted by Larisa Mikallef, Kapustina's colleague, Mother's Day helps to unite families, restore lost ties and remind them of the value of close relationships, which we sometimes forget in the fast pace of modern life. This is a time when you can stop, look back at your relationships with your dearest people, show care, kindness and gratitude — qualities that are necessary for every person.
Mother's Day in modern society combines both socio-political and personal-emotional significance, reflecting and supporting motherhood as an essential component of the life of the family and society as a whole.
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