10 Questions about Mother's Day in Poland
1. When is Mother's Day in Poland?
2024, 2023, 2025 - it does not matter - In Poland, Mother's Day is celebrated on the same day every year - May 26. The date is fixed, and thanks to that, many people remember it very well. Phrases such as "Flowers for the 26th of May" are also very popular, and mean nothing else than "Flowers for Mother's Day".
This day is a symbol of love, respect and gratitude to moms. In 2024, Mother's Day in Poland falls on Sunday, May 26, which is amazing news for anyone who wants to spend quality times with their moms.
Time left until Mother's Day 2024 in Poland:
Send mom flowers
2. Does Poland celebrate Mother's Day?
Is Mother's Day a big deal in Poland? It absolutely is. Mother's Day is widely celebrated by children of all ages, including adults. It is one of the busiest day for florists nationwide. Also in our flower store, Mother's Day is the #1 biggest floral occasion after "Birthday". In 2023, for example, almost 13% of all bouquets were sent on Mother's Day. We sent three times as many bouquets to our moms, than we did to our loved ones during the Valentine's Day. [Source report].
3. How is Mother's Day celebrated in Poland?
It depends on the age of the children. Young children prepare hand-made cards (so called "laurki") and gifts, older children recite poems during school plays, or use their pocket money to buy mom small gifts & flowers. Older children love spoiling their moms with flowers & heartfelt wishes. The older the child, the bigger the gift. Whoever can, comes to visit their mom for dinner, or take her out.
4. What do you wish on Mother's Day in Poland?
Mother's Day wishes tend to be heartfelt & beautiful. They are frequently full of words of appreciation and gratitude, such as "I owe everything to you, Mom" and compliments, such as "Mom, you are the epitome of grace and beauty." We usually wish our moms not only a nice Mother's Day, "Happy Mother's Day. May your day be as wonderful as you are!", but also the famous Polish "health, happiness & prosperity" ("zdrowia, szczęścia, pomyślności").
See: Beautiful Mother's Day wishes in Polish and English
5. Do Poles give gifts to moms-in-law on Mother's Day?
Is your Polish partner forgetful? It won't hurt to remind him on time about May 26th!
Polish daughters and sons-in-law frequently call their moms-in-law "moms" and it is not uncommon to treat them as moms on Mother's Day. We believe that Mother's Day is a great chance to celebrate all mother figures we love and respect, not only our biological moms.
6. How much Poles spend on Mother's Day
The thought is what matters, of course. The price of a Mother's Day surprise depends on the age of the child, but in general tends to be lower than a Christmas gift, for example. Mid-range gift boxes and gourmet baskets are a nice Mother's Day compromise.
Gifts for Mom
In our recent (2023) study of average cost of flower orders for Mother's Day, we found our that (as opposed to other occasions) we spend a very similar amount across cities and regions. What's also interesting is that we send 10 times more bouquets on Mother's Day, but we spend, on average, more on Father's Day.
7. Is there such a thing as International Mother's Day/World Mother's Day?
No, the dates of the holidays meant to focus on celebrating mothers differ significantly between countries. In some countries, like Poland, dates are fixed, and in other countries, Mother's Day is always celebrated on a Sunday.
8. Mother's Day around the world - Which country celebrates it on the same day as Poland?
Norway is the first country to celebrate Mother's Day in the year. In Norway, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of February. In many countries, Mother's Day is combined with Women's Day and is celebrated on March 8. This is the case, for example, in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Albania, Russia, Morocco, Vietnam and Serbia. Many Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, etc.) celebrate Mother's Day on March 21.
The most popular Mother's Day month is May - this is when most countries celebrate Mother's Day. In Portugal, it is the first Sunday of May, while the vast majority of countries celebrate it on the second Sunday of May:
Anguilla, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Philippines, Finland, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Netherlands, Honduras, Iceland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Myanmar, Germany, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Singapore, Sint, Maarten, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanganyika, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
It is therefore no surprise that on the second Sunday of May, our flower shop records an increase in interest in bouquets for mothers with delivery throughout Poland, mainly thanks to mothers from Ukraine living in Poland who celebrate their day on that day. It is a great pleasure to be able to unite loved ones living far apart on such a special day.
Poland is the only country where Mother's Day falls on May 26, unless May 26 falls on a Sunday, then there is a chance that we will celebrate Mother's Day together with countries such as Sweden, Tunisia or France. In these countries, Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of May (or the first Sunday of June if the last Sunday of May falls on Pentecost).
In Belarus, Mother's Day is celebrated on October 14, and in Russia on the last Sunday of November. The last country celebrating Mother's Day is Indonesia - on December 22.
9. The History of Mother's Day
Where does Mother's Day actually come from? What is its story?
The origins of mothers' festival date back to the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. At that time, mother-goddesses were worshipped - symbols of fertility and abundance. The Phrygians celebrated a festival dedicated to the fertility goddess Cybele, and the Greeks celebrated a festival dedicated to the goddess Rhea. This custom was later taken over by the Romans, but when they adopted Christianity, they were forbidden to worship other gods.
Interestingly, Mother's Day returned in 17th century England under the name Mothering Sunday. Initially, every year on the fourth Sunday of Lent, prayers were held in the nearest cathedral, and the day on which this holiday was celebrated was a day off from work. It was tradition to give gifts to the mothers, mainly flowers and sweets, in exchange for a blessing. The custom survived until the 19th century, and began to be celebrated again after the end of World War II.
In the USA, the beginning of the celebration can be considered in 1858, when the American teacher Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis announced Mother's Labor Day. On May 12, 1907, her daughter organized a service in honor of her deceased mother, an activist for women rights. The first Mother's Day was held in 1908, on the May anniversary of the death of Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, at the Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where she taught Sunday school for decades.
In Poland, Mother's Day was celebrated for the first time in Kraków (Cracow) in 1923.
Delivery on Mother's Day
10. Why is it worth celebrating Mother's Day?
Just another commercial holiday? Not necessarily. There are several important reasons why it is worth celebrating Mother's Day and organizing something special for her.
Mothers are irreplaceable, and their contribution deserves recognition and attention. Mothers are the pillar of the family - they are often the ones who keep the family together and are often the only ones who can provide a sense of stability. It's worth showing them the love and respect they deserve.
Moms often take care of everything - they organize birthday parties for others, take care of the cake and gifts for close and extended family. Celebrating Mother's Day is the best way to teach children respect and gratitude - it shows how important it is to remember others and repay the care received on their special days. Mother's Day is a day children can take initiative in the planning & executing their great ideas.
Mother's Day is also an opportunity to spend time together - it's a time when we can gather, talk, have a nice time together, collect memories and photos for the family album. This is a great opportunity to strengthen family bonds - celebrating Mother's Day is a time when we can get closer to our family and remember how important the relationships between us are.