The Economic Times

Why do we celebrate Mother's Day and how it started? The emotional story behind global celebration and why its founder wanted the holiday cancelled

Happy Mother's Day 2026: Mother's Day, celebrated on the second Sunday of May, originated from Ann Jarvis's efforts to support mothers and her daughter Anna's campaign for a national holiday. Anna Jarvis envisioned a day to honor mothers personally, but later regretted its commercialization, fighting against businesses profiting from the occasion.