With Mother’s Day right around the corner, Fox in a Box Stockholm would like to help celebrate the incredible women in our lives with some interesting facts and trivia about Mother’s Day, and how it is celebrated around the world, as well as share a special offer just for the amazing women in your lives! Stay tuned to the end of this article for a Mother’s Day discount!
Mother’s Day is a special occasion celebrated worldwide that dates back to the Middle Ages, and while honoring mothers is universal across the world, the traditions and customs around Mother’s Day vary beautifully from one culture to the next. Join us as we highlight the unique ways people around the world celebrate Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day is a special occasion celebrated worldwide that dates back to the Middle Ages, and while honoring mothers is universal across the world, the traditions and customs around Mother’s Day vary beautifully from one culture to the next. Join us as we highlight the unique ways people around the world celebrate Mother’s Day!
United States: Flowers and Breakfast in Bed
In the United States, Mother’s Day is often marked by giving flowers, carnations being especially popular, and serving mothers breakfast in bed. This is essentially to give the women in our lives a much needed break, a day full of love and pampering, to show them how we value their contributions to the family. Family gatherings and special meals are also common, and often children will be encouraged to make hand-crafted gifts or cards to express their love.
Sweden: Last Sunday of May
A lot of the ways the Swedish celebrate Mother’s Day coincide with the US. Handmade gifts, special meals and celebratory gatherings are popular ways we choose to celebrate the day. But unlike a number of other countries, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of May in Sweden. This date is significant because it also marks the beginning of spring, where the days become longer and the flowers begin to bloom, which symbolizes rebirth and renewal and perfectly aligns with the context of Mother’s Day.
United Kingdom: Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday in the UK falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Historically, it is a day when people return to their “mother church”, or matrice, which is a term depicting the church as a ‘mother’ in that she functions through nourishment and protection of the believer. Like other countries, in the modern day, most British people choose to celebrate the day with gift-giving and family gatherings, along with inclusion of traditional dishes like a Simnel cake.
Japan: Haha no Hi
In Japan, Mother’s Day is known as “Haha no Hi”, and is traditionally celebrated by having children draw pictures of their mothers and giving them red carnations, which symbolize purity and sweetness. Families will also come together for the special occasion and cook meals to the mother’s preference to honor her.
Mexico: Las Mananitas
Mother’s Day in Mexico, or “Dia de las Madres”, is celebrated on May 10th with serenades of the traditional song “Las Mananitas”. Families are often encouraged to attend special church services, and children will present their mothers with flowers, handmade gifts, and prepare special meals much like other cultures.
Ethiopia: Antrosht Festival
In Ethiopia, Mother’s Day is a part of the three-day Antrosht festival, which is held in the fall. Coinciding with the end of the rainy season, families will gather for a feast, where daughters bring vegetables and cheese, and sons provide meat. Songs, dancing, and celebrations continue, with family and motherhood being the central highlight.
France: Fete Des Meres
The French celebrate Mother’s Day on the last Sunday of May or the first Sunday of June. Along with the traditional gift giving, often mothers will be honored with a special flower shaped cake. The tradition of honoring mothers was revived after World War One in France, to pay tribute to the women who lost their sons and husbands during the war.
Thailand: Queen Sirikit’s Birthday
Mother’s Day in Thailand is celebrated on August 12th, which is the birthday of Queen Sirikit. She is regarded as the mother of the nation, and therefore coincides perfectly with motherly celebrations. The day begins with ceremonies and offerings to Buddhist monks, then continues within the family with children honoring their mothers with gifts of jasmine flowers.
India: Durga Puja
In India, Hindus honor the goddess Durga during a ten day festival known as Durga Puja. The celebration is an old tradition, dating back to the sixteenth century, and is considered both a religious ceremony and a chance for family reunions. A popular story told during this time is one of Durga returning to her parents home to introduce her own children to her parents. In some cases, families can spend weeks preparing food, gathering gifts and decorating their homes for the occasion.
Peru: A Week Long Celebration
Mother’s Day is celebrated for a week in Peru. Part of the celebrations is family dinners, lunches, parties and trips throughout the week. There are often art and musical performances around the city and mothers can visit popular venues like museums, exhibitions and festivals for free. Children are expected to shower their mothers with gifts and flowers, and even recite poems or stories for them. And in Peru, they also honor mothers who have passed. Families will visit graves of the deceased women in their lives and offer flowers and balloons.
Germany: Muttertag
It is believed by many that the modern Mother’s Day celebrations originated in Germany, sometime in the Middle Ages. It was a day for families to visit each other and wish a fruitful spring and new life to their relatives. The day was extremely important during the German Reich, and mothers who had many children were awarded Crosses of Honor, but after the First World War, Mother’s Day celebrations became more neutral and all encompassing, celebrated much like other Western countries. One unique aspect in Germany is that it’s not uncommon to present mothers with surprise trips to a day at the spa or vacation!
Argentina: Mother’s Day in October
In Argentina, Mother’s Day was originally celebrated on October 11th, which coincided with the celebration of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But after the Second Vatican Council, the celebration was moved to the third Sunday of October. Argentina is the only country in the world that celebrates Mother's Day on this date!
Australia: White Chrysanthemums
The first Mother’s Day in Australia was celebrated in 1910 with special church services, but was not popular until 1920, with gift-giving coming into tradition only in 1924. This tradition for Australia was initiated by a Sydney woman, Janet Heyden, who was inspired to collect charitable gifts for lonely, old mothers in Newington hospital who had lost husbands and sons during the First World War. Because Mother’s Day takes place during the autumn in Australia, and carnations are a spring flower, white chrysanthemums are traditionally gifted instead.
Belgium: Mother’s Day In August
In Belgium, children craft handmade gifts at school which are presented to mothers on the morning of Mother’s Day, and fathers will buy croissants or other sweet bread or pastries for mothers to enjoy in bed. Many Belgians celebrate Mother's Day on the Fifteenth of August instead; which is considered the classical Mother's Day.
Indonesia: Celebrating Women Congress
In Indonesia, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the anniversary of the first Indonesian Women Congress. Originally, the day sought to celebrate the spirit of Indonesian women and to help improve conditions for women of the nation. In modern day it is celebrated more like other Western countries, but specifically it is important to allow mothers a day off from their domestic duties.
Nepal: Mata Tirha Aunsi
Called Mata Tirtha Aunsi in Nepal, or “Mother Pilgrimage New Moon”, the day is usually celebrated according to the lunar calendar, and falls on the last day of the “dark fortnight”, usually between April and May. The “dark fortnight” is the fifteen days between the full moon and the new moon. During this festival, amongst other common honorings of mothers, it is tradition to honor those mothers who have passed with a pilgrimage to the Mata Tirtha ponds. These ponds have cultural significance through various folklore, and pilgrims believe that visiting the ponds will bring peace to their mothers’ souls.
These are just a few of the amazing traditions and celebrations that take place all over the world in honor of the amazing women and mothers in our lives, both living and passed. And now that we have gone over some of the amazing ways we celebrate mothers all over the world, we at Fox in a Box Stockholm would like to celebrate mothers in our own special way as well!
SPECIAL OFFER
For this Sunday only, mothers play for free at Fox in a Box Stockholm!
Simply use the code MOTHERSDAY2024 when booking your escape room game for Sunday, May 26th, and you will receive a discount on your game*! Keep in mind that we already have discounted prices for our Sunday games, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get out with your family for some fun together to end your weekend off right.
While you’re at Fox in a Box Stockholm this Sunday, check out Hop & Vine also, the bar and restaurant upstairs, as they are having special menu items for the occasion as well. Hop & Vine is the perfect place to unwind after your escape room game, as they have a great menu of food and beverage items, as well as a large library of board games available to play. If you are on an outing with your family, consider keeping the fun going over a new board or card game and some snacks!
* Discount is valid for any escape room game played at Fox In A Box Stockholm (Sveavägen 14, Stockholm) on Sunday, May 26th, 2024. Valid for groups of three (3) or more players. A 350SEK discount will be applied to booking when using the code MOTHERSDAY2024 at payment, this is equivalent to maximum one (1) free player. Please remember that this discount is offered to celebrate mothers; we reserve the right to refuse the discount if your party does not include a player meeting this requirement.
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