When is Mother’s Day 2025? And who invented Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is a day in honor of the mothers and motherhood. He has established himself in the western world since 1914. It will be celebrated in May in German -speaking countries and many other countries. Here you will find everything about Mother’s Day 2025 and some information about the origin and importance of the holiday. Which gifts for Mother’s Day are common?

By the way: you will find with us Mother’s Day sayings for WhatsApp or the greeting card. We also offer An appointment overview of all holidays in Germany.

Date: When is Mother’s Day 2025 in Germany?

Mother’s Day is traditionally celebrated in Germany on the second Sunday in May, in 2025 this is May 11th.

Origin and meaning: who invented Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is not an invention of modern retail or the advertising industry, as you could sometimes believe. In fact, the ancient Greeks of the mother cult was already cultivated – we know, for example, about reverence rituals for the goddess Rhea in ancient Hellas and comparable cults in ancient Rome. And we also find old traces of mother worship beyond the channel: the so-called « mothering Sunday » was celebrated in England as early as the 13th century.

The American women’s rights activist Julia W. Howe really got the stone rolling in 1872 when she asked for an official holiday for women. Her daughter Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis later kicked footsteps and fought for the idea of ​​reserving a day in honor of the mothers in the calendar.

This commitment was finally rewarded on May 8, 1914, when every second Sunday in May was officially appointed for mothers every second Sunday in May. A short time later England followed and revived the good old « mothering day ». This also led to the introduction of the Mother’s Day in Germany (1922).

During the National Socialism period, the celebration of the Mother’s Day was linked to the ideology and the Nazis propaganda. In particular, large mothers were celebrated as heroines of the people – with an open racist justification. In 1933, Mother’s Day was declared a public holiday and for the first time on 3rd Maisonnag 1934 as the « Memorial and Honor Day of German Mothers » was committed with the introduction of the Reich Mütterdienst in the Reich Women’s Leadership. The religious celebrations (« consecration ») were set in competition with Christian celebrations on Sundays at 10 a.m. In 1938 the German mother’s Cross of Honor, which was first awarded on Mother’s Day on May 21, 1939.

Gifts for Mother’s Day

As we know it today, with flowers and gifts for mom, Mother’s Day in Germany has been around for around 80 years – this is how it is also celebrated in many families. And here we come back to the suspicion that the holiday in honor of the mothers is basically an idea of ​​the flower, confectionery and perfume lobby. They did not invent him, but they would certainly not abolish him either: a survey of 2019 showed that German consumers spent 850 million euros on mother’s day gifts.

For most people, gifts are part of the good tone: 72.3 percent of those surveyed answered the question of whether they will give their mother something for Mother’s Day this year, with a clear « yes ». Women are somewhat more generous than men: three out of four women surveyed (75.4 percent), but only 69.3 percent of male consumers, stated that they wanted to give their mother something this year.

When choosing the gift, consumers use the tried and tested: In 2019, flowers were also the most bought Mother’s Day gift in 2019. Every second consumer – 40.9 percent of men and 63.2 percent of women – gave their mother flowers this year. Pralines and chocolate follow in second place in women (34.8 percent) and men (18.6 percent). Self -designed gifts (27.4 percent) complete the top 3 of the most popular mother’s day in front of perfume (18.2 percent). Men apparently like to make less like tinkering: perfume (10.7 percent) is third in the most popular gifts. Something self -made (4th place) wants to give 7.3 percent of her mother’s men.

Many children just give their mom love – the wind slope painting from the family dog, for example, or the breakfast prepared with a lot of heart and served on the bed. By the way, you can also give something like that regardless of Mother’s Day. But whatever works: time.