document_title: Mother's Day

question_text: what day of the year is mothers day always celebrated

question_tokens: what day of the year is mothers day always celebrated

text: Mother's Day

text: Establishment of holiday[edit]

text: The modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. St Andrew's Methodist Church now holds the International Mother's Day Shrine.[8] Her campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and created Mother's Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed that they were "the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world".[9]

text: In 1908, the US Congress rejected a proposal to make Mother's Day an official holiday, joking that they would also have to proclaim a "Mother-in-law's Day".[10] However, owing to the efforts of Anna Jarvis, by 1911 all US states observed the holiday,[11] with some of them officially recognizing Mother's Day as a local holiday,[12] the first being West Virginia, Jarvis' home state, in 1910. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.[13]

text: Although Jarvis was successful in founding Mother's Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies had started selling Mother's Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother's Day, and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit. As a result, she organized boycotts of Mother's Day, and threatened to issue lawsuits against the companies involved.[14] Jarvis argued that people should appreciate and honor their mothers through handwritten letters expressing their love and gratitude, instead of buying gifts and pre-made cards.[13] Jarvis protested at a candy makers' convention in Philadelphia in 1923, and at a meeting of American War Mothers in 1925. By this time, carnations had become associated with Mother's Day, and the selling of carnations by the American War Mothers to raise money angered Jarvis, who was arrested for disturbing the peace.[13][14]

text: Spelling[edit]

text: In 1912 Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "Second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association.[15] She specifically noted that "Mother's" should "be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world."[16] This is also the spelling used by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his 1914 presidential proclamation, by the U.S. Congress in relevant bills,[17][18] and by various U.S. presidents in their proclamations concerning Mother's Day.[19]

text: Dates around the world[edit]

text: While the United States holiday was adopted by some other countries, existing celebrations, held on different dates, honouring motherhood have become described as "Mother's Day", such as Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom[5] or, in Greece, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the presentation of Jesus Christ to the temple (2 February of Julian Calendar). Both the secular and religious Mother Day are present in Greece.[citation needed] Mothering Sunday is often referred to as "Mother's Day" even though it is an unrelated celebration.[5]

text: In some countries, the date adopted is one significant to the majority religion, such as Virgin Mary Day in Catholic countries. Other countries selected a date with historical significance. For example, Bolivia's Mother's Day is the date of a battle in which women participated.[20] See the "International history and tradition" section for the complete list.

text: Some ex-communist countries, such as Russia, celebrated International Women's Day instead of Mother's Day[21] or simply celebrate both holidays, which is the custom in Ukraine. Kyrgyzstan has recently introduced Mother's Day, but "year on year [International Women's Day] is certainly increasing in status".[22]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Gregorian calendar

Occurrence
Dates
Country

Second Sunday of February

Feb 14, 2016
Feb 12, 2017
Feb 11, 2018

 Norway

3 March

 Georgia[23]

8 March (with International Women's Day)

 Afghanistan
 Albania
 Armenia
 Azerbaijan
 Belarus
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Bulgaria
 Burundi
 Burkina Faso
 Kazakhstan
 Kosovo
 Laos
 Macedonia
 Moldova
 Montenegro
 Russia
 Serbia
 Slovenia
 Tajikistan
 Uzbekistan
 Vietnam[24]

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Mothering Sunday)

6 Mar 2016
26 Mar 2017
11 Mar 2018

 Guernsey
 Ireland
 Isle of Man
 Jersey
 Nigeria
 United Kingdom[25]

21 March
(Spring equinox)

 Bahrain[26]
 Comoros
 Djibouti
 Egypt[26]
 Iraq
 Jordan[26]
 Kuwait[26]
 Libya[26]
 Lebanon[27][28]
 Mauritania
 Oman[26]
 Palestine[26][28]
 Qatar[26]
 Saudi Arabia[citation needed]
 Somalia
 Sudan[26]
 Syria[26]
 United Arab Emirates[26]
 Yemen

25 March

 Slovenia

7 April (Annunciation day)

 Armenia (Motherhood and Beauty Day)

First Sunday of May

May 1, 2016
May 7, 2017
May 6, 2018

 Angola
 Cape Verde
 Hungary
 Lithuania
 Mozambique
 Portugal
 Romania
 Spain

8 May

 South Korea (Parents' Day)

10 May

 El Salvador
 Guatemala
 Mexico

Second Sunday of May

May 8, 2016
May 14, 2017
May 13, 2018
May 12, 2019

 Anguilla
 Antigua and Barbuda
 Aruba
 Australia
 Austria
 Bahamas
 Bangladesh
 Barbados
 Belgium
 Belize
 Bermuda
 Bhutan
 Bonaire
 Botswana
 Brazil
 Brunei
 Canada
 Cambodia
 Cayman Islands
 Central African Republic
 Chad
 Chile[29]
 China[30]
 Colombia
 Congo, Dem. Rep.
 Congo, Rep.
 Cote d'Ivoire
 Croatia
 Cuba[31]
 Curaçao
 Cyprus
 Czech Republic[32]
 Denmark
 Dominica
 Ecuador
 Equatorial Guinea
 Estonia
 Ethiopia
 Faroe Islands
 Fiji
 Finland
 Germany
 Gabon
 Gambia
 Greenland
 Ghana
 Greece
 Grenada
 Guyana
 Honduras
 Hong Kong
 Iceland
 India
 Italy
 Jamaica
 Japan
 Kenya
 Latvia
 Liberia
 Liechtenstein
 Macau
 Malaysia
 Malta
 Myanmar
 Namibia
 Netherlands
 New Zealand
 Pakistan
 Papua New Guinea
 Peru[33]
 Philippines
 Puerto Rico
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 Samoa
 Singapore
 Sint Maarten
 Slovakia[32]
 South Africa[34]
 Sri Lanka
 Suriname
  Switzerland
 Taiwan
 Tanzania
 Tonga
 Trinidad and Tobago
 Turkey
 Uganda
 Ukraine
 United States
 Uruguay
 Vietnam[24]
 Venezuela
 Zambia
 Zimbabwe

14 May

 Benin

15 May

 Paraguay (same day as Día de la Patria)[35]

19 May

 Kyrgyzstan (Russian: День матери, Kyrgyz: Энэ күнү)

22 May

 Israel (new)[36]

26 May

 Poland (Polish: Dzień Matki)

27 May

 Bolivia[20]

Last Sunday of May (sometimes First Sunday of June if the last Sunday of May is Pentecost)

May 29, 2016
May 28, 2017
May 27, 2018

 Algeria
 Cameroon
 Dominican Republic
 France[25] (First Sunday of June if Pentecost occurs on this day)

French Antilles (First Sunday of June if Pentecost occurs on this day)

 Madagascar
 Mali
 Morocco
 Niger
 Haiti[37]
 Mauritius
 Senegal
 Sweden
 Tunisia

30 May

 Nicaragua[38]

1 June

 Mongolia (together with Children's Day)

Second Sunday of June

Jun 12, 2016
Jun 11, 2017
Jun 10, 2018

 Luxembourg

First Monday of July

Jul 4, 2016
Jul 3, 2017
Jul 2, 2018

 South Sudan

12 August

 Thailand (birthday of Queen Sirikit)

15 August (Assumption of Mary)

 Costa Rica
 Antwerp (Belgium)

Second Monday of October

Oct 10, 2016
Oct 9, 2017
Oct 8, 2018

 Malawi

14 October

 Belarus (since 1996[39])

Third Sunday of October

Oct 16, 2016
Oct 15, 2017
Oct 21, 2018

 Argentina (Día de la Madre)[40]

3 November

 Timor Leste

16 November

 North Korea[41]

Last Sunday of November

 Russia

8 December (Feast of the Immaculate Conception)

 Panama[42]

22 December

 Indonesia[43]

Hebrew calendars

Occurrence
Equivalent Gregorian dates
Country

Shevat 30

Between 30 January and 1 March- Family Day

 Israel[36]

Hindu calendars

Occurrence
Equivalent Gregorian dates
Country

Baisakh[44] Amavasya (Mata Tirtha Aunsi[45])

Between 19 April and 19 May
6 May 2016 [44]
26 April 2017

   Nepal

Islamic calendars

Occurrence
Equivalent Gregorian dates
Country

20 Jumada al-Thani[n 1]

20 April 2014
10 April 2015
30 March 2016

 Iran[46]

text: International history and tradition[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: In most countries, Mother's Day is an observance derived from the holiday as it has evolved in the United States, promoted by companies who saw benefit in making it popular.[6] As adopted by other countries and cultures, the holiday has different meanings, is associated with different events (religious, historical or legendary), and is celebrated on different dates.

text: In some cases, countries already had existing celebrations honoring motherhood, and their celebrations then adopted several external characteristics from the US holiday, such as giving carnations and other presents to one's mother.

text: The extent of the celebrations varies greatly. In some countries, it is potentially offensive to one's mother not to mark Mother's Day. In others, it is a little-known festival celebrated mainly by immigrants, or covered by the media as a taste of foreign culture.[citation needed]

text: Religion[edit]

text: In the Roman Catholic Church, the holiday is strongly associated with revering the Virgin Mary.[47] In some Catholic homes, families have a special shrine devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In many Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a special prayer service is held in honor of the Theotokos Virgin Mary.[48][citation needed]

text: In Islam there is no concept of Mother's Day, but mothers hold a very high position[49] in religious matters. According to some Islamic traditions, Heaven is said to be found under a mother's feet, meaning that one can attain admission into heaven after death if they are a caring and loving child to their mothers.[citation needed]

text: In Hindu tradition, Mother's Day is called "Mata Tirtha Aunshi" or "Mother Pilgrimage fortnight", and is celebrated in countries with a Hindu population, especially in Nepal. The holiday is observed on the new moon day in the month of Baisakh, i.e., April/May. This celebration is based on Hindu religion and it pre-dates the creation of the US-inspired celebration by at least a few centuries.[citation needed]

text: In Buddhism, the festival of Ullambana is derived from the story of Maudgalyayana and his mother.[50]

text: By country (A–G)[edit]

text: Albania[edit]

text: Mother's day is celebrated in 8 March . The origin of the 8th of March holiday dates back to 1908 and is associated with a tragic event. A group of workers at a textile factory in New York strikes against extreme working conditions. On March 8, the factory was shut down and the workers remained trapped inside. Suddenly a fire broke out, where 129 mothers died.

text: Arab world[edit]

text: Mother's Day in most Arab countries is celebrated on 21 March. It was introduced in Egypt by journalist Mustafa Amin[51] and was first celebrated in 1956. The practice has since been copied by other Arab countries.[citation needed]

text: Argentina[edit]

text: In Argentina, Mother's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of October. The holiday was originally celebrated on 11 October, the old liturgical date for the celebration of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary but after the Second Vatican Council, which moved the Virgin Mary festivity to 1 January, the Mother's Day started to be celebrated the third Sunday of October because of popular tradition.[40] Argentina is the only country in the world that celebrates Mother's Day on this date.[citation needed]

text: Armenia[edit]

text: In Armenia, Mother's Day is celebrated on 8 March, and on 7 April as Maternity and Beauty Day.

text: Australia[edit]

text: In Australia, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. The tradition of giving gifts to mothers on Mother's Day in Australia was started by Janet Heyden,[52] a resident of Leichhardt, Sydney, in 1924. She began the tradition during a visit to a patient at the Newington State Home for Women, where she met many lonely and forgotten mothers. To cheer them up, she rounded up support from local school children and businesses to donate and bring gifts to the women. Every year thereafter, Mrs Heyden raised increasing support for the project from local businesses and even the local Mayor. The day has since become commercialised.

text: Belarus[edit]

text: Belarus celebrates Mother's Day on 14 October. Like other ex-Communist republics, Belarus used to celebrate only the International Women Day on 8 March. Mother's Day in Belarus was officially established by the Belarus government, and it was celebrated for the first time in 1996.[39] The celebration of the Virgin Mary (the holiday of Protection of the Holy Mother of God) is celebrated in the same day.[53]

text: Bhutan[edit]

text: Mother's Day in Bhutan is celebrated on 8 May. It was introduced in Bhutan by the Tourism Council of Bhutan.[54]

text: Belgium[edit]

text: In Belgium, Mother's Day (Moederdag or Moederkesdag in Dutch and Fête des Mères in French) is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. In the week before this holiday children make little presents at primary school, which they give to their mothers in the early morning of Mother's Day. Typically, the father will buy croissants and other sweet breads and pastries and bring these to the mother while she is still in bed – the beginning of a day of pampering for the mother. There are also many people who celebrate Mother's Day on 15 August instead; these are mostly people around Antwerp, who consider that day (Assumption) the classical Mother's Day and the observance in May an invention for commercial reasons. It was originally established on that day as the result of a campaign by Frans Van Kuyck, a painter and Alderman from Antwerp.[citation needed]

text: Bolivia[edit]

text: In Bolivia, Mother's Day is celebrated on 27 May. El Día de la Madre Boliviana was passed into law on 8 November 1927, during the presidency of Hernando Siles Reyes. The date commemorates the Battle of La Coronilla, which took place on 27 May 1812, during the Bolivian War of Independence, in what is now the city of Cochabamba. In this battle, women fighting for the country's independence were slaughtered by the Spanish army. It is not a public holiday, but all schools hold activities and festivities throughout the day.[20]

text: Brazil[edit]

text: In Brazil, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. The first Mother's Day in Brazil was promoted by Associação Cristã de Moços de Porto Alegre (Young Men's Christian Association of Porto Alegre) on 12 May 1918. In 1932, then President Getúlio Vargas made the second Sunday of May the official date for Mother's Day. In 1947, Archbishop Jaime de Barros Câmara, Cardinal-Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, decided that this holiday would also be included in the official calendar of the Catholic Church.[citation needed]

text: Mother's Day is not an official holiday (see Public holidays in Brazil), but it is widely observed and typically involves spending time with and giving gifts to one's mother. Because of this, it is considered one of the celebrations most related to consumerism in the country, second only to Christmas Day as the most commercially lucrative holiday.[55]

text: Canada[edit]

text: Mother's Day in Canada is celebrated on the second Sunday in May (it is not a public holiday or bank holiday), and typically involves small celebrations and gift-giving to one's mother, grandmother, or other important female figures in one's family.[citation needed] Celebratory practices are very similar to those of other western nations. A Québécois tradition is for Québécois men to offer roses or other flowers to the women.[citation needed]

text: China[edit]

text: Mother's Day is becoming more popular in China. Carnations are a very popular Mother's Day gift and the most sold flowers in relation to the day.[56] In 1997 Mother's Day was set as the day to help poor mothers and to remind people of the poor mothers in rural areas such as China's western region.[56] In the People's Daily, the Chinese government's official newspaper, an article explained that "despite originating in the United States, people in China accept the holiday without hesitation because it is in line with the country's traditional ethics – respect for the elderly and filial piety towards parents."[56]

text: In recent years, the Communist Party member Li Hanqiu began to advocate for the official adoption of Mother's Day in memory of Meng Mu, the mother of Mèng Zǐ. He formed a non-governmental organization called Chinese Mothers' Festival Promotion Society, with the support of 100 Confucian scholars and lecturers of ethics.[57][58] Li and the Society want to replace the Western-style gift of carnations with lilies, which, in ancient times, were planted by Chinese mothers when children left home.[58] Mother's Day remains an unofficial festival, except in a small number of cities.[citation needed]

text: Czech Republic[edit]

text: In the Czech Republic, Mother's Day is celebrated every second Sunday in May. It started in former Czechoslovakia in 1923.[32] The promoter of this celebration was Alice Masaryková.[32] After World War II communists replaced Mother's Day with International Woman's Day, celebrated on 8 March.[32] The former Czechoslovakia celebrated Women's Day until the Velvet Revolution in 1989.[32] After the split of the country in 1993, the Czech Republic started celebrating Mother's Day again.[32]

text: Egypt[edit]

text: Mother's Day in Egypt is celebrated on 21 March, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. It was introduced in Egypt by journalist Mustafa Amin[51] in his book Smiling America (1943). The idea was overlooked at the time. Later Amin heard the story of a widowed mother who devoted her whole life to raising her son until he became a doctor. The son then married and left without showing any gratitude to his mother. Hearing this, Amin became motivated to promote "Mother's Day". The idea was first ridiculed by president Gamal Abdel Nasser but he eventually accepted it and Mother's Day was first celebrated on 21 March 1956. The practice has since been copied by other Arab countries.[citation needed]

text: When Mustafa Amin was arrested and imprisoned, there were attempts to change the name of the holiday from "Mother's Day" to "Family Day" as the government wished to prevent the occasion from reminding people of its founder. These attempts were unsuccessful and celebrations continued to be held on that day; classic songs celebrating mothers remain famous to this day.[citation needed]

text: Ethiopia[edit]

text: Mother's Day is celebrated for three days in Ethiopia, after the end of rainy season. It comes in mid-fall where people enjoy a three-day feast called "Antrosht".[59]

text: For the feast, ingredients will be brought by the children for a traditional hash recipe. The ingredients are divided along genders, with girls bringing spices, vegetables, cheese and butter, while the boys bring a lamb or bull. The mother hands out to the family the hash.[60]

text: A celebration takes place after the meal. The mothers and daughters anoint themselves using butter on their faces and chests. While honoring their family and heroes, men sing songs.[61]

text: Estonia[edit]

text: In Estonia, Mother's Day (emadepäev in Estonian) is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. It is recognized nationally, but is not a public holiday.[62]

text: Finland[edit]

text: In Finland, Mother's Day (äitienpäivä in Finnish) is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. It is recognized nationally, and is a public holiday. It is usually celebrated at homes where children or grandchildren bring Mother´s day cards that they have drawn to their mothers and grandmothers. Usually some food, coffee and cakes are served for guests. Grown up children visit their parents homes and bring traditionally Mother´s day roses or other flowers accompanied with a Mother´s day card. The president of Finland honors with medals every year some mothers who have done something exceptional and positive during the year. [63]

text: France[edit]

text: In France, amidst alarm at the low birth rate, there were attempts in 1896 and 1904 to create a national celebration honoring the mothers of large families.[64] In 1906 ten mothers who had nine children each were given an award recognising "High Maternal Merit" ("Haut mérite maternel").[65] American World War I soldiers fighting in France popularized the US Mother's Day holiday created by Anna Jarvis. They sent so much mail back to their country for Mother's Day that the Union Franco-Américaine created a postal card for that purpose.[64] In 1918, also inspired by Jarvis, the town of Lyon wanted to celebrate a "journée des Mères", but instead decided to celebrate a "Journée Nationale des Mères de familles nombreuses." The holiday was more inspired by anti-depopulation efforts than by the US holiday, with medals awarded to the mothers of large families.[64] The French government made the day official in 1920 as a day for mothers of large families.[66] Since then the French government awards the Médaille de la Famille française to mothers of large families.[citation needed]

text: In 1941, by initiative of Philippe Pétain, the wartime Vichy government used the celebration in support of their policy to encourage larger families, but all mothers were now honored, even mothers with smaller families.[66]

text: In 1950, after the war, the celebration was reinstated. The law of 24 May 1950 required that the Republic pay official homage to French Mothers on the last Sunday in May as the "Fête des Mères" (except when Pentecost fell on that day, in which case it was moved to the first Sunday in June).[citation needed]

text: During the 1950s, the celebration lost all its patriotic and natalist ideologies, and became heavily commercialized.[64]

text: In 1956, the celebration was given a budget and integrated into the new Code de l'action Sociale et des familles. In 2004 responsibility for the holiday was transferred to the Minister responsible for families.[citation needed]

text: Georgia[edit]

text: Georgia celebrates Mother's Day on 3 March. It was declared by the first President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia in order to replace the International Women Day, and it was officially approved by the Supreme Council in 1991. Nowadays Georgia celebrates both Mother's Day on 3 March and International Women's Day on 8 March.[23]

text: Germany[edit]

text: In the 1920s, Germany had the lowest birthrate in Europe, and the declining trend was continuing. This was attributed to women's participation in the labor market. At the same time, influential groups in society (politicians of left and right, churchwomen, and feminists) believed that mothers should be honored but could not agree on how to do so. However, all groups strongly agreed on the promotion of the values of motherhood. In 1923, this resulted in the unanimous adoption of Muttertag, the Mother's Day holiday as imported from America[citation needed] and Norway. The head of the Association of German Florists cited "the inner conflict of our Volk and the loosening of the family" as his reason for introducing the holiday. He expected that the holiday would unite the divided country. In 1925, the Mother's Day Committee joined the task force for the recovery of the volk, and the holiday stopped depending on commercial interests and began emphasizing the need to increase the population in Germany by promoting motherhood.[67]

text: The holiday was then seen as a means to encourage women to bear more children, which nationalists saw as a way to rejuvenate the nation. The holiday did not celebrate individual women, but an idealized standard of motherhood. The progressive forces resisted the implementation of the holiday because it was backed by so many conservatives, and because they saw it as a way to eliminate the rights of working women. Die Frau, the newspaper of the Federation of German Women's Associations, refused to recognize the holiday. Many local authorities adopted their own interpretation of the holiday: it would be a day to support economically larger families or single-mother families. The guidelines for the subsidies had eugenics criteria, but there is no indication that social workers ever implemented them in practice, and subsidies were given preferentially to families in economic need rather than to families with more children or "healthier" children.[67]

text: With the Nazi party in power during 1933–1945, the situation changed radically. The promotion of Mother's Day increased in many European countries, including the UK and France. From the position of the German Nazi government, the role of mothers was to give healthy children to the German nation. The Nazi party's intention was to create a pure "Aryan race" according to nazi eugenics. Among other Mother's Day ideas, the government promoted the death of a mother's sons in battle as the highest embodiment of patriotic motherhood.[67][68]

text: The Nazis quickly declared Mother's Day an official holiday and put it under the control of the NSV (National Socialist People's Welfare Association) and the NSF (National Socialist Women Organization). This created conflicts with other organizations that resented Nazi control of the holiday, including Catholic and Protestant churches and local women's organizations. Local authorities resisted the guidelines from the Nazi government and continued assigning resources to families who were in economic need, much to the dismay of the Nazi officials.[67]

text: In 1938, the government began issuing an award called Mother's Cross (Mutterkreuz), according to categories that depended on the number of children a mother had. The medal was awarded on Mother's Day and also on other holidays due to the large number of recipients. The Cross was an effort to encourage women to have more children, and recipients were required to have at least four.[67][68]

text: By country (H–M)[edit]

text: Hungary[edit]

text: In Hungary, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. It was first celebrated in 1925 by the Hungarian Red Cross Youth.[citation needed]

text: India[edit]

text: The modern Mother's Day has been assimilated into Indian culture,[69] and it is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May.[70] Indians do not celebrate the occasion as a religious event, and it is celebrated primarily in urban centers.

text: Indonesia[edit]

text: Indonesian Mother's Day (Indonesian: Hari Ibu) is celebrated nationally on 22 December. The date was made an official holiday by President Soekarno under Presidential Decree (Indonesian: Dekrit Presiden) no. 316 in 1953, on the 25th anniversary of the 1928 Indonesian Women Congress. The day originally sought to celebrate the spirit of Indonesian women and to improve the condition of the nation. Today, the meaning of Mother's Day has changed, and it is celebrated by expressing love and gratitude to mothers. People present gifts to mothers (such as flowers) and hold surprise parties and competitions, which include cooking and kebaya wearing. People also allow mothers a day off from domestic chores.[71]

text: The holiday is celebrated on the anniversary of the opening day of the first Indonesian Women Congress (Indonesian: Kongres Perempuan Indonesia), which was held from 22 to 25 December 1928.[43][72] The Congress took place in a building called Dalem Jayadipuran, which now serves as the office of the Center of History and Traditional Values Preservation (Indonesian: Balai Pelestarian Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional) in Brigjen Katamso Street, Yogyakarta. The Congress was attended by 30 feminist organizations from 12 cities in Java and Sumatra. In Indonesia, feminist organizations have existed since 1912, inspired by Indonesian heroines of the 19th century, e.g., Kartini, Martha Christina Tiahahu, Cut Nyak Meutia, Maria Walanda Maramis, Dewi Sartika, Nyai Ahmad Dahlan, Rasuna Said, etc.[43] The Congress intended to improve women's rights in education and marriage.[73]

text: Indonesia also celebrates the Kartini Day (Indonesian: Hari Kartini) on 21 April, in memory of activist Raden Ajeng Kartini. This is a celebration of the emancipation of women.[72] The observance was instituted at the 1938 Indonesian Women Congress.[73]

text: During President Suharto's New Order (1965–1998), government propaganda used Mother's Day and Kartini Day to inculcate into women the idea that they should be docile and stay at home.[73]

text: Iran[edit]

text: In Iran, Mother's Day is celebrated on 20 Jumada al-thani. This is the sixth month in the Islamic calendar (a lunar calendar) and every year the holiday falls on a different day of the Gregorian calendar. This is the birthday anniversary of Fatimah,[46][74] Prophet Muhammad's only daughter according to Shia Islam orthodoxy. Mother's Day was originally observed on 16 December but the date was changed after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The celebration is both Women's Day (replacing International Women's Day) and Mother's Day.[46][75]

text: In 1960, the Institute for Women Protection adopted the Western holiday and established it on 25 Azar (16 December), the date the Institute was founded. The Institute's action had the support of Queen Farah Pahlavi, the wife of the last Shah of Persia, who promoted the construction of maternity clinics in remote parts of the country to commemorate the day. The government used the holiday to promote its maternalist view of women. The Shah's government honored and gave awards to women who represented the idealized view of the regime, including mothers who had many healthy children.[76]

text: The Islamic Republic government is accused of using the holiday as a tool to undercut feminist movements and to promote role models for the traditional concept of family. Fatimah is seen by these critics as the chosen model of a woman completely dedicated to certain traditionally sanctioned feminine roles.[46][77][78] However, supporters of the choice contend that there is much more to her life story than simply such "traditional" roles.[citation needed]

text: Israel[edit]

text: The Jewish population of Israel used to celebrate Mother's Day on Shevat 30 of the Jewish calendar, which falls between 30 January and 1 March. The celebration was set as the same date that Henrietta Szold died (13 February 1945). Henrietta had no biological children, but her organization Youth Aliyah rescued many Jewish children from Nazi Germany and provided for them. She also championed children's rights. Szold is considered the "mother" of all those children, and that is why her annual remembrance day (יום השנה) was set as Mother's Day (יוֹם הָאֵם, yom ha'em). The holiday has evolved over time, becoming a celebration of mutual love inside the family, called Family Day (יוֹם הַמִשְּפָּחָה, yom hamishpacha). This holiday is mainly celebrated in preschools with an activity to which parents are invited. Mother's Day is mainly celebrated by children at kindergartens. There are no longer mutual gifts among members of the family, and there is no longer any commercialization of the celebration. It is not an official holiday.[36]

text: Italy[edit]

text: Mother's Day in Italy was celebrated for the first time on 24 December 1933 as the "Day of the mother and the child" (Giornata della madre e del fanciullo). It was instituted by the Opera nazionale maternità e infanzia in order to publicly reward the most prolific Italian women every year.[79]

text: After World War II, Mother's Day was first celebrated on 12 May 1957 in Assisi, at the initiative of Reverend Otello Migliosi, the parish priest of the Tordibetto church.[80] This celebration was so popular that in the following year Mother's Day was adopted throughout Italy. On 18 December 1958, a proposal was presented to the Italian Senate to make the holiday official.[81]

text: Japan[edit]

text: In Japan, Mother's Day (母の日, Haha no Hi) was initially commemorated during the Shōwa period as the birthday of Empress Kōjun (mother of Emperor Akihito) on 6 March. This was established in 1931 when the Imperial Women's Union was organized. In 1937, the first meeting of "Praise Mothers" was held on 8 May, and in 1949 Japanese society adopted the second Sunday of May as the official date for Mother's Day in Japan. Today, people typically give their mothers gifts of flowers such as red carnations and roses.[citation needed]Japan is most known for giving carnations on Mother's Day.

text: Kyrgyzstan[edit]

text: In Kyrgyzstan, Mother's Day is celebrated on 19 May every year. The holiday was first celebrated in 2012.[82] Mothers are also honored on International Women's Day[83]

text: Latvia[edit]

text: Mother's Day in Latvia was celebrated for the first time in 1922. Since 1934, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.[84] After the end of the soviet occupation of Baltic states celebration was resumed in 1992.[85] Mothers are also honored on International Women's Day.[citation needed]

text: Lithuania[edit]

text: In Lithuania, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May.

text: Maldives[edit]

text: In the Maldives, Mother's Day is celebrated on 13 May. The day is celebrated in different ways. Children give gifts and spend time with their mothers. Daughters give their mothers cards and handmade gifts and sons give their mothers gifts and flowers. Maldivians love to celebrate Mother's day, and they have it specially written on their calendar.[citation needed]

text: Malta[edit]

text: The first mention of Mother's Day in Malta occurred during the Radio Children's Programmes run by Frans H. Said in May 1961. Within a few years, Mother's Day became one of the most popular dates in the Maltese calendar. In Malta, this day is commemorated on the second Sunday in May. Mothers are invariably given gifts and invited for lunch, usually at a good quality restaurant.[citation needed]

text: Mexico[edit]

text: In Mexico, the government of Álvaro Obregón imported the Mother's Day holiday from the US in 1922, and the newspaper Excélsior held a massive promotional campaign for the holiday that year.[86] The conservative government tried to use the holiday to promote a more conservative role for mothers in families, but that perspective was criticized by the socialists as promoting an unrealistic image of a woman who was not good for much more than breeding.[86]

text: In the mid-1930s, the leftist government of Lázaro Cárdenas promoted the holiday as a "patriotic festival". The Cárdenas government tried to use the holiday as a vehicle for various efforts: to stress the importance of families as the basis for national development; to benefit from the loyalty that Mexicans felt towards their mothers; to introduce new morals to Mexican women; and to reduce the influence that the church and the Catholic right exerted over women.[87] The government sponsored the holiday in the schools.[87] However, ignoring the strict guidelines from the government, theatre plays were filled with religious icons and themes. Consequently, the "national celebrations" became "religious fiestas" despite the efforts of the government.[87]

text: Soledad Orozco García, the wife of President Manuel Ávila Camacho, promoted the holiday during the 1940s, resulting in an important state-sponsored celebration.[88] The 1942 celebration lasted a full week and included an announcement that all women could reclaim their pawned sewing machines from the Monte de Piedad at no cost.[88]

text: Due to Orozco's promotion, the Catholic National Synarchist Union (UNS) took heed of the holiday around 1941.[89] Shop-owner members of the Party of the Mexican Revolution (now the Institutional Revolutionary Party) observed a custom allowing women from humble classes to pick a free Mother's Day gift from a shop to bring home to their families. The Synarchists worried that this promoted both materialism and the idleness of lower classes, and in turn, reinforced the systemic social problems of the country.[90] Currently this holiday practice is viewed as very conservative, but the 1940s' UNS saw Mother's Day as part of the larger debate on the modernization that was happening at the time.[91] This economic modernization was inspired by US models and was sponsored by the state. The fact that the holiday was originally imported from the US was seen as evidence of an attempt at imposing capitalism and materialism in Mexican society.[91]

text: The UNS and the clergy of the city of León interpreted the government's actions as an effort to secularize the holiday and to promote a more active role for women in society. They concluded that the government's long-term goal was to cause women to abandon their traditional roles at home in order to spiritually weaken men.[91] They also saw the holiday as an attempt to secularize the cult to the Virgin Mary, inside a larger effort to dechristianize several holidays. The government sought to counter these claims by organizing widespread masses and asking religious women to assist with the state-sponsored events in order to "depaganize" them.[92] The clergy preferred to promote 2 July celebration of the Santísima Virgen de la Luz, the patron of León, Guanajuato, in replacement of Mother's Day.[89] In 1942, at the same time as Soledad's greatest celebration of Mother's Day, the clergy organized the 210th celebration of the Virgin Mary with a large parade in León.[92]

text: There is a consensus among scholars that the Mexican government abandoned its revolutionary initiatives during the 1940s, including its efforts to influence Mother's Day.[89]

text: Today the "Día de las Madres" is an unofficial holiday in Mexico held each year on 10 May,[93] the day on which it was first celebrated in Mexico.[94]

text: In Mexico, to show affection and appreciation to the mother, it is traditional to start the celebration with the famous song "Las Mañanitas", either a cappella, with the help of a mariachi or a contracted trio. Many families usually gather to celebrate this special day trying to spend as much time as possible with mothers to honor them on their day. They are organized to bring some dishes and eat all together or maybe to visit any restaurant.[citation needed]

text: By country (N–S)[edit]

text: Nepal[edit]

text: In Nepal, there is a festival equivalent to Mother's Day, called Mata Tirtha Aunsi ("Mother Pilgrimage New Moon"), or Mata Tirtha Puja ("Mother Pilgrimage Worship"). It is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. It falls on the last day of the dark fortnight in the month of Baishakh which falls in April–May (in 2015, it will occur on 18 April). The dark fortnight lasts for 15 days from the full moon to the new moon. This festival is observed to commemorate and honor mothers, and it is celebrated by giving gifts to mothers and remembering mothers who are no more.[citation needed]

text: To honor mothers who have died, it is the tradition to go on a pilgrimage to the Mata Tirtha ponds, located 6 km to the southwest of downtown Kathmandu. The nearby Mata Tirtha village is named after these ponds. Previously, the tradition was observed primarily by the Newar community and other people living in the Kathmandu Valley. Now this festival is widely celebrated across the country.[citation needed]

text: Many tragic folklore legends have been created, suggesting different reasons why this pond became a pilgrimage site. The most popular version says that, in ancient times, the mother of a shepherd died, and he made offerings to a nearby pond. There he saw the face of his mother in the water, with her hand taking the offerings. Since then, many people visited the pond, hoping to see their deceased mother's face. Pilgrims believe that they will bring peace to their mother's souls by visiting the sacred place. There are two ponds. The larger one is for ritual bathing. The smaller one is used to "look upon mother's face", and it's fenced by iron bars to prevent people from bathing on it.[citation needed]

text: Traditionally, in the Kathmandu valley the South-Western corner is reserved for women and women-related rituals, and the North-Eastern is for men and men-related rituals. The worship place for Mata Tirtha Aunsi is located in Mata Tirtha in the South-Western half of the valley, while the worship place for Gokarna Aunsi, the equivalent celebration for deceased fathers, is located in Gokarna, Nepal, in the North-Eastern half. This division is reflected in many aspects of the life in Kathmandu valley.[95]

text: Mother's Day is known as Aama ko Mukh Herne Din in Nepali, which literally means "day to see mother's face". In Nepal Bhasa, the festival is known as Mām yā Khwā Swayegu, which can be translated as "to look upon mother's face".[citation needed]

text: Netherlands[edit]

text: In the Netherlands, Mother's Day was introduced as early as 1910 by the Dutch branch of the Salvation Army.[96] The Royal Dutch Society for Horticulture and Botany, a group protecting the interest of Dutch florists, worked to promote the holiday; they hoped to emulate the commercial success achieved by American florists.[97] They were imitating the campaign already underway by florists in Germany and Austria, but they were aware that the traditions had originated in the US.[97]

text: Florists launched a major promotional effort in 1925. This included the publication of a book of articles written by famous intellectuals, radio broadcasts, newspapers ads, and the collaboration of priests and teachers who wanted to promote the celebration for their own reasons.[97] In 1931 the second Sunday of May was adopted as the official celebration date. In the mid-1930s the slogan Moederdag – Bloemendag (Mother's Day – Flowers' Day) was coined, and the phrase was popular for many years.[98] In the 1930s and 1940's "Mother's Day cakes" were given as gifts in hospitals and to the Dutch Queen, who is known as the "mother of the country".[98] Other trade groups tried to cash in on the holiday and to give new meaning to the holiday in order to promote their own wares as gifts.[98]

text: Roman Catholic priests complained that the holiday interfered with the honoring of the Virgin Mary, the divine mother, which took place during the whole month of May. In 1926 Mother's Day was celebrated on 7 July in order to address these complaints.[99] Catholic organizations and priests tried to Christianize the holiday, but those attempts were rendered futile around the 1960s when the church lost influence and the holiday was completely secularized.[99]

text: In later years, the initial resistance disappeared, and even leftist newspapers stopped their criticism and endorsed Mother's Day.[100]

text: In the 1980s, the American origin of the holiday was still not widely known, so feminist groups who opposed the perpetuation of gender roles sometimes claimed that Mother's Day was invented by Nazis and celebrated on the birthday of Klara Hitler, Hitler's mother.[101]

text: New Zealand[edit]

text: In New Zealand, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day is not a public holiday. The New Zealand tradition is to give cards and gifts and to serve mothers breakfast in bed.[citation needed]

text: Nicaragua[edit]

text: In Nicaragua, the Día de la Madre has been celebrated on 30 May since the early 1940s. The date was chosen by President Anastasio Somoza García because it was the birthday of Casimira Sacasa, his wife's mother.[38]

text: North Korea[edit]

text: Mother's Day is celebrated on 16 November as a public holiday in North Korea. The date takes its significance from the First National Meeting of Mothers held in 1961, for which Kim Il-sung, the leader of the country, published a work called The Duty of Mothers in the Education of Children. The date was designated as Mother's Day in May 2012 by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly but only became a public holiday and appeared on the North Korean calendar starting in 2015.[41]

text: Norway[edit]

text: Mother's Day was first celebrated on 9 February 1919 and was initially organized by religious institutions. Later it has become a family day, and the mother is often treated to breakfast in bed, flowers and cake.[102][better source needed]

text: It has gradually become a major commercial event, with special pastries, flowers and other presents offered by retailers. Day-cares and primary schools often encourage children to make cards and other gifts.[citation needed]

text: Pakistan[edit]

text: In Pakistan, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Media channels celebrate with special shows. Individuals honor their mothers by giving gifts and commemorative articles. Individuals who have lost their mothers pray and pay their respects to their loved ones lost. Schools hold special programs in order to acknowledge the efforts of their mothers.[103]

text: Panama[edit]

text: In Panama, Mother's Day is celebrated on 8 December, the same day as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This date was suggested in 1930 by the wife of Panama's President Florencio Harmodio Arosemena. 8 December was adopted as Mother's Day under Law 69, which was passed the same year.[42]

text: According to another account, in 1924 the Rotary Club of Panama asked that Mother's Day be celebrated on 11 May. Politician Aníbal D. Ríos changed the proposal so that the celebration would be held on 8 December. He then established Mother's Day as a national holiday on that date.[104]

text: Paraguay[edit]

text: In Paraguay, Mother's Day is celebrated on 15 May, the same day as the Dia de la Patria, which celebrates the independence of Paraguay.[35] This date was chosen to honor the role played by Juana María de Lara in the events of 14 May 1811 that led to Paraguay's independence.[105]

text: In 2008, the Paraguayan Minister of Culture, Bruno Barrios, lamented this coincidence because, in Paraguay, Mother's Day is much more popular than independence day and the independence celebration goes unnoticed. As a result, Barrios asked that the celebration be moved to the end of the month.[106] A group of young people attempted to gather 20,000 signatures to ask the Parliament to move Mother's Day.[106] In 2008, the Comisión de festejos (Celebration Committee) of the city of Asunción asked that Mother's Day be moved to the second Sunday of May.[107]

text: Philippines[edit]

text: In the Philippines, Mother's Day is officially celebrated on the second Sunday of May, but it is not a public holiday.[108] Although not a traditional Filipino holiday, the occasion owes its popularity to American Colonial Period influence.

text: According to a 2008 article by the Philippine News Agency, in 1921 the Ilocos Norte Federation of Women's Clubs asked to declare the first Monday of December as Mother's Day "to honor these fabulous women who brought forth God's children into this world." In response, Governor-General Charles Yeater issued Circular No. 33 declaring the celebration. In 1937 President Manuel L. Quezon issued Presidential Proclamation No. 213, changing the name of the occasion from "Mother's Day" to "Parent's Day" to address the complaints that there wasn't a "Father's Day". In 1980 President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Proclamation No. 2037 proclaiming the date as both Mother's Day and Father's Day. In 1988 President Corazon Aquino issued Presidential Proclamation No. 266, changing Mother's Day to the second Sunday of May, and Father's Day to the third Sunday of June, discontinuing the traditional date.[109] In 1998 President Joseph Estrada returned both celebrations to the first Monday of December.[108]

text: Portugal[edit]

text: In Portugal, the "Dia da Mãe" ("Mother's Day") is an unofficial holiday held each year on the first Sunday of May (sometimes coinciding with Labour Day). The weeks leading up to this Sunday, school children spend a few hours a day to prepare a gift for their mothers, aided by their school teachers. In general, mothers receive gifts by their family members and this day is meant to be celebrated with the whole family. It used to be celebrated on the 8th December, the same date of the Conception of the Virgin celebration.[citation needed]

text: Romania[edit]

text: In Romania, Mother's Day has been celebrated on the first Sunday of May since 2010. Law 319/2009 made both Mother's Day and Father's Day official holidays in Romania. The measure was passed thanks to campaign efforts from the Alliance Fighting Discrimination Against Fathers (TATA).[110] Previously, Mother's Day was celebrated on 8 March, as part of International Women's Day (a tradition dating back to when Romania was part of the Eastern bloc). Today, Mother's Day and International Women's Day are two separate holidays, with International Women's Day being held on its original date of 8 March.[citation needed]

text: Russia[edit]

text: Traditionally Russia had celebrated International Women's Day and Mother's Day on 8 March, an inheritance from the Soviet Union, and a public holiday.[111]

text: Women's Day was first celebrated on the last Sunday in February in 1913 in Russia.[112]

text: In 1917, demonstrations marking International Women's Day in Saint Petersburg on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar) initiated the February Revolution. Following the October Revolution later that year, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Vladimir Lenin to make it an official holiday in the Soviet Union, and it was established, but was a working day until 1965.[citation needed]

text: On 8 May 1965, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, International Women's Day was declared a non-working day in the Soviet Union "in commemoration of the outstanding merits of Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War, in their heroism and selflessness at the front and in the rear, and also marking the great contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples, and the struggle for peace. But still, women's day must be celebrated as are other holidays."[113]

text: Samoa[edit]

text: In Samoa, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, and as a recognised national holiday on the Monday following.

text: Singapore[edit]

text: In Singapore, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. It is not recognized as a holiday by the government.

text: Slovakia[edit]

text: Czechoslovakia celebrated only Women's Day until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. After the country split in 1993, Slovakia started celebrating both Women's Day and Mother's Day. The politicization of Women's Day has affected the official status of Mother's Day. Center-right parties want Mother's Day to replace Women's Day, and social-democrats want to make Women's Day an official holiday. Currently, both days are festive, but they are not "state holidays". In the Slovak Republic, Mother's Day is celebrated every second Sunday in May.[32]

text: South Africa[edit]

text: In South Africa, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. It is not recognized as a holiday by the government. The tradition is to give cards and gifts and to serve mothers breakfast in bed or to go out to lunch together as a family.

text: South Sudan[edit]

text: In South Sudan, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Monday in July. The president Salva Kiir Mayardit proclaimed Mother's Day as the first Monday in July after handing over from Sudan. Children in South Sudan are presenting mothers with gifts and flowers. The first Mother's Day was held in that country on 2 July 2012.[citation needed]

text: Spain[edit]

text: In Spain, Mother's Day or Día de la Madre is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. The weeks leading up to this Sunday, school children spend a few hours a day to prepare a gift for their mothers, aided by their school teachers. In general, mothers receive gifts by their family members & this day is meant to be celebrated with the whole family. It is also said to be celebrated in May, as May is the month dedicated to the Virgin Mary (mother of Jesus) according to Catholicism.[citation needed]

text: Sri Lanka[edit]

text: In Sri Lanka, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

text: Sweden[edit]

text: In Sweden, Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1919, by initiative of the author Cecilia Bååth-Holmberg. It took several decades for the day to be widely recognized. Swedes born in the early nineteen hundreds typically did not celebrate the day because of the common belief that the holiday was invented strictly for commercial purposes. This was in contrast to Father's Day, which has been widely celebrated in Sweden since the late 1970s. Mother's Day in Sweden is celebrated on the last Sunday in May. A later date was chosen to allow everyone to go outside and pick flowers.[citation needed]

text: Switzerland[edit]

text: In Switzerland, the "règle de Pentecôte" law allows Mother's Day to be celebrated a week late if the holiday falls on the same day as Pentecost. In 2008, merchants declined to move the date.[114]

text: By country (T–Z)[edit]

text: Taiwan[edit]

text: In Taiwan, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of the month of May, coinciding with Buddha's birthday and the traditional ceremony of "washing the Buddha". In 1999 the Taiwanese government established the second Sunday of May as Buddha's birthday, so they would be celebrated in the same day.[115][116]

text: Since 2006,[117] the Tzu Chi, the largest charity organization in Taiwan, celebrates the Tzu Chi Day, Mother's Day and Buddha's birthday all together, as part of a unified celebration and religious observance.[118][119][120]

text: Thailand[edit]

text: Mother's day in Thailand is celebrated on the birthday of the Queen of Thailand, Queen Sirikit (12 August).[121] The holiday was first celebrated around the 1980s as part of the campaign by the Prime Minister of Thailand Prem Tinsulanonda to promote Thailand's Royal family.[122] Father's Day is celebrated on the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday.[122]

text: Ukraine[edit]

text: Ukraine celebrates Mother's Day (Ukrainian: День Матері) on the second Sunday of May. In Ukraine, Mother's Day officially became a holiday only in 1999[123] and is celebrated since 2000. Since then Ukrainian society struggles to transition the main holiday that recognizes woman from the International Women's Day, a holiday adopted under the Soviet Union that remained as a legacy in Ukraine after its collapse, to Mother's Day.[citation needed]

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: The United Kingdom celebrates Mothering Sunday, which falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (26 March in 2017). This holiday has its roots in the church and was originally unrelated to the American holiday.[5][124] Most historians believe that Mothering Sunday evolved from the 16th-century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually on Laetare Sunday.[125] As a result of this tradition, most mothers were reunited with their children on this day when young apprentices and young women in service were released by their masters for that weekend. As a result of the influence of the American Mother's Day, Mothering Sunday transformed into the tradition of showing appreciation to one's mother. The holiday is still recognized in the original historical sense by many churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ and the concept of the Mother Church.[citation needed]

text: The custom was still popular by the start of the 19th century, but with the Industrial Revolution, traditions changed and the Mothering Day customs declined.[124] By 1935, Mothering Sunday was less celebrated in Europe.[citation needed] Constance Penswick-Smith worked unsuccessfully to revive the festival in the 1910s–1920s. However, US World War II soldiers brought the US Mother's Day celebration to the UK,[126] and the holiday was merged with the Mothering Sunday traditions still celebrated in the Church of England.[127] By the 1950s, the celebration became popular again in the whole of the UK, thanks to the efforts of UK merchants, who saw in the festival a great commercial opportunity.[127] People from UK started celebrating Mother's Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the same day on which Mothering Sunday had been celebrated for centuries. Some Mothering Sunday traditions were revived, such as the tradition of eating cake on that day, although celebrants now eat simnel cake[25] instead of the cakes that were traditionally prepared at that time.[citation needed] The traditions of the two holidays are now mixed together and celebrated on the same day, although many people are not aware that the festivities have quite separate origins.[128]

text: Mothering Sunday can fall at the earliest on 1 March (in years when Easter Day falls on 22 March) and at the latest on 4 April (when Easter Day falls on 25 April).[citation needed]

text: United States[edit]

text: The United States celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. In 1872 Julia Ward Howe called for women to join in support of disarmament and asked for 2 June 1872, to be established as a "Mother's Day for Peace". Her 1870 "Appeal to womanhood throughout the world" is sometimes referred to as Mother's Day Proclamation. But Howe's day was not for honouring mothers but for organizing pacifist mothers against war. In the 1880s and 1890s there were several further attempts to establish an American "Mother's Day", but these did not succeed beyond the local level.[129]

text: In the United States, Mother's Day remains one of the biggest days for sales of flowers, greeting cards, and the like; Mother's Day is also the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls.[130] Moreover, churchgoing is also popular on Mother's Day, yielding the highest church attendance after Christmas Eve and Easter. Many worshippers celebrate the day with carnations, coloured if the mother is living and white if she is dead.[131]

text: Mother's Day continues to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. occasions.[132]

text: It is possible that the holiday would have withered over time without the support and continuous promotion of the florist industries and other commercial industries. Other Protestant holidays from the same time, such as Children's Day and Temperance Sunday, do not have the same level of popularity.[133]


document_title: List of extreme points of the United States

question_text: where is the southernmost part of the united states

root

text: Northernmost points[edit]

text:
Map this section's coordinates using: OpenStreetMap · Google Maps

Download coordinates as: KML · GPX

tag: table

text:
Point Barrow, Alaska 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W / 71.38889°N 156.47917°W / 71.38889; -156.47917 (Point Barrow) – northernmost point in all U.S. territory
Utqiaġvik, Alaska 71°17′44″N 156°45′59″W / 71.29556°N 156.76639°W / 71.29556; -156.76639 (Barrow) – northernmost incorporated place in all U.S. territory, population about 4,000
Fairbanks, Alaska 64°50′22.94″N 147°43′14.63″W / 64.8397056°N 147.7207306°W / 64.8397056; -147.7207306 (Fairbanks City Hall)  – northernmost city of more than 20,000 residents, and northernmost city with public road access
Anchorage, Alaska 61°13′4.17″N 149°53′33.17″W / 61.2178250°N 149.8925472°W / 61.2178250; -149.8925472 (Anchorage City Hall) – northernmost city of more than 100,000 residents
Northwest Angle Inlet in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota 49°23′04.1″N 95°9′12.2″W / 49.384472°N 95.153389°W / 49.384472; -95.153389 (Northwest Angle) – northernmost point in the 48 contiguous states (because of incomplete information at the time of the Treaty of Paris (1783) settling the American Revolutionary War)
Sumas, Washington 49°00′08.6″N 122°15′40″W / 49.002389°N 122.26111°W / 49.002389; -122.26111 (Sumas, WA) – northernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states (because of 19th century survey inaccuracy placing the international border slightly north of the 49th parallel here.[1])
Lynden, Washington 48°56′43″N 122°27′10″W / 48.94528°N 122.45278°W / 48.94528; -122.45278 (Lynden City Hall)  – northernmost city of more than 10,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Bellingham, Washington 48°45′19.12″N 122°28′43.54″W / 48.7553111°N 122.4787611°W / 48.7553111; -122.4787611 (Bellingham City Hall)  – northernmost city of more than 50,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Everett, Washington 47°58′41″N 122°12′27″W / 47.97806°N 122.20750°W / 47.97806; -122.20750 (Everett City Hall)  – northernmost city of more than 100,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Spokane, Washington 47°39′37″N 117°25′25″W / 47.66028°N 117.42361°W / 47.66028; -117.42361 (Spokane City Hall)  – northernmost city of more than 200,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Seattle, Washington 47°36′13.81″N 122°19′48.56″W / 47.6038361°N 122.3301556°W / 47.6038361; -122.3301556 (Seattle City Hall)  – northernmost city of more than 500,000 residents in the United States
Alaska has the northernmost geographic center of all the states. North Dakota has the northernmost geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

tag: ul

text: Southernmost points[edit]

text:
Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica (90°0′0″S 0°0′0″E / 90.00000°S 0.00000°E / -90.00000; 0.00000 (South Pole)) – southernmost point under United States jurisdiction
Rose Atoll, American Samoa (14°34′11″S 168°9′10″W / 14.56972°S 168.15278°W / -14.56972; -168.15278 (Rose Atoll)) – southernmost point in all U.S.-controlled territory
Palmyra Atoll - southernmost point in all U.S. incorporated territory
Ka Lae, Hawaii (18°54′39″N 155°40′52″W / 18.91083°N 155.68111°W / 18.91083; -155.68111 (Ka Lae)) – southernmost point in the 50 states
Nā'ālehu, Hawaii (19°3′57″N 155°35′15″W / 19.06583°N 155.58750°W / 19.06583; -155.58750 (Nā'ālehu, HI)) – southernmost town in the 50 states
Hilo, Hawaii (19°41′58″N 155°4′51″W / 19.69944°N 155.08083°W / 19.69944; -155.08083) - southernmost place with a population over 25,000 in the 50 states
City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii (21°18′19″N 157°51′25″W / 21.30528°N 157.85694°W / 21.30528; -157.85694 (Honolulu City Hall)) – southernmost incorporated place in the 50 states (Hawaii's only incorporated place)
Western Dry Rocks, Florida (24°26.8′N 81°55.6′W / 24.4467°N 81.9267°W / 24.4467; -81.9267 (Western Dry Rocks)) – In the Florida Keys - southernmost point in the 48 contiguous states occasionally above water at low tide
Ballast Key, Florida (24°31′15″N 81°57′49″W / 24.52083°N 81.96361°W / 24.52083; -81.96361 (Ballast Key)) – southernmost point in the 48 contiguous states continuously above water
Key West, Florida (24°32′38.724″N 81°48′17.658″W / 24.54409000°N 81.80490500°W / 24.54409000; -81.80490500 (Key West, FL)) – southernmost incorporated place in the contiguous 48 states
Cape Sable, Florida (25°7′6″N 81°5′11″W / 25.11833°N 81.08639°W / 25.11833; -81.08639 (Cape Sable)) – southernmost point on the U.S. mainland
Florida City, Florida (25°26′54″N 80°28′57″W / 25.44833°N 80.48250°W / 25.44833; -80.48250 (Florida City City Hall)) – Southernmost municipality in the contiguous U.S.
Miami, Florida (25°43′40″N 80°14′2″W / 25.72778°N 80.23389°W / 25.72778; -80.23389 (Miami City Hall)) – the southernmost major metropolitan city in the 48 contiguous states
Cameron County, Texas (25°50′14.5″N 97°23′39.9″W / 25.837361°N 97.394417°W / 25.837361; -97.394417) – Southernmost point on the Mexico–United States border.
Hawaii has the southernmost geographic center of all the states. Florida has the southernmost geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

text: Easternmost points[edit]

text:
Point Udall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 17°45′19″N 64°33′54″W / 17.75528°N 64.56500°W / 17.75528; -64.56500 (Point Udall, St. Croix) – easternmost point in all U.S. territory, by direction of travel
Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands 17°44′54″N 64°43′00″W / 17.7482°N 64.7168°W / 17.7482; -64.7168 (Christainsted) – easternmost town in all U.S. territory, by direction of travel
Sail Rock, Maine 44°48′45.2″N 66°56′49.3″W / 44.812556°N 66.947028°W / 44.812556; -66.947028 (Sail Rock), just offshore of West Quoddy Head, Maine – easternmost point in the 50 states, by direction of travel
West Quoddy Head, Maine 44°48′55.4″N 66°56′59.2″W / 44.815389°N 66.949778°W / 44.815389; -66.949778 (West Quoddy Head) – easternmost point on the U.S. mainland
Lubec, Maine (44°49′03″N 66°57′00″W / 44.817419°N 66.949895°W / 44.817419; -66.949895 (Lubec, ME)) – easternmost incorporated place in the 50 states
Eastport, Maine (44°54′20″N 66°59′24″W / 44.90556°N 66.99000°W / 44.90556; -66.99000 (Eastport City Hall)) – easternmost incorporated city in the 50 states[2]
Calais, Maine (45°11′18″N 67°16′37″W / 45.18833°N 67.27694°W / 45.18833; -67.27694 (Calais City Hall)) – easternmost city of more than 2,500 residents in the 50 states
Houlton, Maine (46°7′37″N 67°50′22″W / 46.12694°N 67.83944°W / 46.12694; -67.83944 (Houlton City Hall) – easternmost city of more than 5,000 residents in the 50 states
Bangor, Maine – easternmost city of more than 20,000 residents in the 50 states
Portland, Maine – easternmost city of more than 50,000 residents in the 50 states
Boston, Massachusetts – easternmost major U.S. city (more than 500,000 residents)
Pochnoi Point, Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska 51°57′42″N 179°46′23″E / 51.96167°N 179.77306°E / 51.96167; 179.77306 (Pochnoi Point, Semisopochnoi Island) – easternmost point in all U.S. territory by longitude—ironically, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands "west" of the westernmost point in the U.S. by longitude (Amatignak Island) due to interposition of 180° longitude, which conventionally divides "west" from "east" in geographic terms.
Peacock Point, Wake Island 19°16′13.2″N 166°39′26.3″E / 19.270333°N 166.657306°E / 19.270333; 166.657306 (Peacock Point, Wake Island) – first sunrise (at equinox) in all U.S. territory
Northern Islands Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands 16°01′38″N 146°03′52″E / 16.0271°N 146.0645°E / 16.0271; 146.0645 (Farallon de Medinilla) – easternmost municipality in all U.S. territory, by longitude
Maine has the easternmost geographic center of the 50 states.

text: Westernmost points[edit]

text:
Point Udall, Guam (13°26′51″N 144°37′5.5″E / 13.44750°N 144.618194°E / 13.44750; 144.618194 (Point Udall, Guam)) – westernmost point in all U.S. territory, by direction of travel
Peaked Island, offshore from Cape Wrangell, Attu Island, Alaska 52°55′14″N 172°26′16″E / 52.92056°N 172.43778°E / 52.92056; 172.43778 (Peaked Island) – westernmost point in the 50 states by direction of travel, and last sunset (at equinox) in all U.S. territory. West of it passes the International Date Line, after which come Russian territorial islands.
Amatignak Island, Alaska 51°16′7″N 179°8′55″W / 51.26861°N 179.14861°W / 51.26861; -179.14861 (Amatignak Island) – technically, westernmost point in all of U.S. territory by longitude, but not the westernmost of the U.S. Aleutian Islands. It possesses the highest longitude west figure (179°8'55"W) before 180° longitude, which passes west of it. After 180°, longitude is termed "east" and declines numerically.
Adak, Alaska 51°49′21″N 176°42′53″W / 51.8224°N 176.7147°W / 51.8224; -176.7147 (Adak, AK) – westernmost incorporated city in the 50 states
Unalaska, Alaska 53°53′20″N 166°31′38″W / 53.888984°N 166.527239°W / 53.888984; -166.527239 (Unalaska, AK) - westernmost city of more than 2,500 residents in the 50 states
Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska 65°38′32″N 168°7′8″W / 65.64222°N 168.11889°W / 65.64222; -168.11889 (Cape Prince of Wales) – westernmost point on the North American continent
Anchor Point, Alaska (59°46′20.8914″N 151°52′2.373″W / 59.772469833°N 151.86732583°W / 59.772469833; -151.86732583 (Anchor Point, AK)) – Westernmost point on the continuous road system of North America[3]
Umatilla Reef, offshore from Cape Alava, Washington (48°11.1′N 124°47.1′W / 48.1850°N 124.7850°W / 48.1850; -124.7850 (Umatilla Reef)) – westernmost point in the 48 contiguous states occasionally above water at low tide
Bodelteh Islands, offshore from Cape Alava, Washington 48°10′42.7″N 124°46′18.1″W / 48.178528°N 124.771694°W / 48.178528; -124.771694 (Bodelteh Islands) – westernmost point in the 48 contiguous states continuously above water
Cape Alava, Washington (48°9′51″N 124°43′59″W / 48.16417°N 124.73306°W / 48.16417; -124.73306 (Cape Alava)) – westernmost point on the U.S. mainland (contiguous)
Ozette, Washington (48°09′17″N 124°40′02″W / 48.154722°N 124.667222°W / 48.154722; -124.667222 (Ozette, WA)) – westernmost town in the 48 contiguous states
Port Orford, Oregon 42°45′15″N 124°30′45″W / 42.754065°N 124.512605°W / 42.754065; -124.512605 (Port Orford, OR) – westernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states
Brookings, Oregon 42°03′19″N 124°17′15″W / 42.0553°N 124.2875°W / 42.0553; -124.2875 (Brookings City Hall) – westernmost city of more than 5,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Coos Bay, Oregon 43°22′05″N 124°13′03″W / 43.3681°N 124.2174°W / 43.3681; -124.2174 (Coos Bay City Hall) – westernmost city of more than 10,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Eureka, California – westernmost city of more than 25,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Corvallis, Oregon – westernmost city of more than 50,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Eugene, Oregon – westernmost city of more than 100,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
Portland, Oregon – westernmost city of more than 500,000 residents in the United States
Hawaii has the westernmost geographic center of all the states. Oregon has the westernmost geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

text: Interpretation of easternmost and westernmost[edit]

text: There are three methods for reckoning the eastern and western extremes of the United States.

tag: p

text: One method is to use the Prime Meridian as the dividing line between east and west. This meridian running through Greenwich, London, is defined as zero degrees longitude and could be called the least eastern and least western place in the world. The 180th meridian, on the opposite side of the globe, is therefore the easternmost and westernmost place in the world.

text: Another method is to use the International Date Line as the easternmost–westernmost extreme. On the equinox, the easternmost place would be where the day first begins, and the westernmost is where the day last ends.[citation needed]

text: Still another method is to first determine the geographic center of the country and from there measure the shortest distance to every other point. All U.S. territory is spread across less than 180° of longitude, so from any spot in the U.S. it is more direct to reach Point Udall, U.S. Virgin Islands, by traveling east than by traveling west. Likewise, there is not a single point in U.S. territory from which heading east is a shorter route to Point Udall, Guam, than heading west would be, even accounting for circumpolar routes. The two Udalls for whom the two Points are named were brothers, Mo Udall in Guam and Stewart Udall in the Virgin Islands.[4]

text: Highest points[edit]

text:
Denali, Alaska 63°4′9″N 151°0′23″W / 63.06917°N 151.00639°W / 63.06917; -151.00639 (Mount McKinley) – highest summit in the United States, all US territories, and North America at 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m)[5]
Mount Whitney,[note 1][6][7][8] California 36°34′43″N 118°17′31″W / 36.57861°N 118.29194°W / 36.57861; -118.29194 (Mount Whitney) – highest point in the 48 contiguous states at 14,505 feet (4,421 m)
Mount Elbert,[note 2][9][10] Colorado  – highest point on the Continental Divide of North America at 14,440 feet (4,400 m)
Mauna Kea,[note 3][11] Hawaiʻi 19°49′14″N 155°28′5″W / 19.82056°N 155.46806°W / 19.82056; -155.46806 (Mauna Kea) – highest island summit in all U.S. territory and the entire Pacific Ocean at 13,796 feet (4,205 m)
Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico 36°35′52″N 105°26′42″W / 36.59778°N 105.44500°W / 36.59778; -105.44500 (Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico) – highest village limits in all U.S. territory at 12,581 feet (3,835 m) (No residents of Taos Ski Valley live above 10,350 feet (3,150 m))[12]
Winter Park, Colorado 39°53′34″N 105°45′43″W / 39.89278°N 105.76194°W / 39.89278; -105.76194 (Winter Park, CO) – highest city limits in all U.S. territory at 12,060 feet (3,680 m) (No residents of Winter Park live above 9,550 feet (2,910 m))
San Juan County, Colorado 37°49′N 107°40′W / 37.817°N 107.667°W / 37.817; -107.667 (San Juan County, Colorado) – highest U.S. county based on a mean elevation (11,240 feet (3,430 m))
Alma, Colorado 39°17′2″N 106°3′46″W / 39.28389°N 106.06278°W / 39.28389; -106.06278 (Alma, Colorado) – highest town in all U.S. territory at 10,355 feet (3,156 m); contiguous residential areas extend to 11,680 feet (3,560 m).
Leadville, Colorado 39°14′50″N 106°17′30″W / 39.24722°N 106.29167°W / 39.24722; -106.29167 (Leadville, Colorado) – highest city in all U.S. territory at 10,152 feet (3,094 m). (No residents of Leadville live above 10,360 feet (3,160 m))
Lake County Airport, Colorado 39°13′13″N 106°19′00″W / 39.22028°N 106.31667°W / 39.22028; -106.31667 (Lake County Airport) – highest airfield in all U.S. territory and North America at 9,927 feet (3,026 m)
New Mexico State Capitol, Santa Fe 35°40′56″N 105°56′23″W / 35.68222°N 105.93972°W / 35.68222; -105.93972 (New Mexico State Capitol) – highest state capitol in the United States at 7,005 feet (2,135 m)
State of Colorado 39°00′N 105°30′W / 39.000°N 105.500°W / 39.000; -105.500 (State of Colorado) – highest U.S. state based on an average elevation of 6,800 feet (2,100 m)
Mount Mitchell, North Carolina 35°45′53″N 82°15′54″W / 35.76472°N 82.26500°W / 35.76472; -82.26500 (Mount Mitchell) – highest point in eastern United States at 6,684 feet (2,037 m)
Mount Washington, New Hampshire 44°16′13″N 71°18′12″W / 44.27028°N 71.30333°W / 44.27028; -71.30333 (Mount Washington) – highest point in northeastern United States at 6,288 feet (1,917 m)
Arikaree River, Yuma County, Colorado at Kansas state line 39°58′42″N 102°3′6″W / 39.97833°N 102.05167°W / 39.97833; -102.05167 (Arikaree River) – highest U.S. state low point at 3,317 feet (1,011 m)
Beech Mountain, North Carolina 36°12′23″N 81°52′59″W / 36.20639°N 81.88306°W / 36.20639; -81.88306 is the highest incorporated community at an elevation of 5,506 feet (1,678 m) east of the Mississippi River.
Boone, North Carolina 36°12′41″N 81°40′7″W / 36.21139°N 81.66861°W / 36.21139; -81.66861 has the highest elevation (3,333 feet, 1015.9 m) of any town of its size (over 10,000 population) east of the Mississippi River.
Eisenhower Tunnel, west of Denver, Colorado, is the highest point on the Interstate Highway System, at 11,158 feet.

text: Lowest points[edit]

text:
Badwater Basin, Death Valley, California, 36°14′23″N 116°50′5″W / 36.23972°N 116.83472°W / 36.23972; -116.83472 (Badwater Basin) – lowest surface point in all U.S. territory and North America, at −279 feet (−85 m)[13]
Salton Sea, California, 33°19′59″N 115°50′3″W / 33.33306°N 115.83417°W / 33.33306; -115.83417 (Salton Sea) – lowest lake in all U.S. territory and North America, at −226 feet (−69 m)
Furnace Creek Airport, California 36°27′50″N 116°52′53″W / 36.46389°N 116.88139°W / 36.46389; -116.88139 (Furnace Creek Airport) – lowest airfield in all U.S. territory and Western Hemisphere, at −210 feet (−64 m)
Furnace Creek, California,[14] 36°27′29″N 116°52′15″W / 36.45806°N 116.87083°W / 36.45806; -116.87083 (Furnace Creek, California) – lowest settlement in all U.S. territory and Western Hemisphere, at −190 feet (−58 m)
Calipatria, California, 33°07′32″N 115°30′51″W / 33.12556°N 115.51417°W / 33.12556; -115.51417 (Calipatria, California) – lowest city in all U.S. territory and Western Hemisphere, at −184 feet (−56 m)
Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, 30°02′40″N 89°56′47″W / 30.04444°N 89.94639°W / 30.04444; -89.94639 (Ninth Ward of New Orleans, LA) – lowest surface point in eastern United States, at −7 feet (−2.1 m)
New Orleans, Louisiana, 29°58′N 90°03′W / 29.967°N 90.050°W / 29.967; -90.050 (New Orleans, Louisiana) – lowest city over 250,000 population in all U.S. territory and Western Hemisphere, with an average elevation of −1.5 feet (−0.46 m)
State of Delaware 39°0′17″N 75°32′46″W / 39.00472°N 75.54611°W / 39.00472; -75.54611 (State of Delaware) – lowest state, with an average elevation of 60 feet (18 m)
Britton Hill, Florida, 30°59′18″N 86°16′55″W / 30.98833°N 86.28194°W / 30.98833; -86.28194 (Britton Hill, FL) – lowest state high point, at 345 feet (105 m)
Lake Superior bottom, Michigan, 46°54′31″N 86°35′52″W / 46.90861°N 86.59778°W / 46.90861; -86.59778 (Deepest Point in Lake Superior) – lowest freshwater point in all U.S. territory, at −732 feet (−223 m)[15]
Puget Sound bottom, Washington, 47°44.9′N 122°25.7′W / 47.7483°N 122.4283°W / 47.7483; -122.4283 (Deepest Point in Puget Sound) – lowest seawater point in the interior of the United States, at −956 feet (−291 m)[16]

text: Other points[edit]

text:
Most remote point in the 50 states: Ipnavik River, National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, 68°45′N 156°41′W / 68.750°N 156.683°W / 68.750; -156.683 (most remote point); 120 miles (190 km) from nearest habitation
Geographic center of the 50 states: approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, 44°58′N 103°46′W / 44.967°N 103.767°W / 44.967; -103.767 (geographic center of 50 states)
Geographic center of the 48 contiguous states: approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Lebanon, Kansas, 39°50′N 98°35′W / 39.833°N 98.583°W / 39.833; -98.583 (geographic center of 48 contiguous states)
Closest to the equator: Baker Island is at 0°11′41″N 176°28′46″W / 0.19472°N 176.47944°W / 0.19472; -176.47944 (Baker Island).[17][18]
The geographic center of North America is at 48°10′N 100°10′W / 48.167°N 100.167°W / 48.167; -100.167 (Geographic center of the North American continent), about 6 miles (10 km) west of Balta, in Pierce County, North Dakota.[19]
The North American pole of inaccessibility is at 43°22′N 101°58′W / 43.367°N 101.967°W / 43.367; -101.967 (North American pole of inaccessibility), about eleven miles (18 km) southeast of the town of Kyle, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in Bennett County, South Dakota, 1,025 miles (1,650 km) from the nearest coastline.
The southwesternmost point of the contiguous United States is Border Field State Park, California.[20]
The northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States is Cape Flattery, Washington.[21]

text: Islands[edit]

text:
Island of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi 19°49′15″N 155°28′5″W / 19.82083°N 155.46806°W / 19.82083; -155.46806 (Island of Hawaii) – most extensive island in all U.S. territory at 4,028 square miles (10,430 km2) and tallest island in all U.S. territory and the entire Pacific Ocean at 13,796 feet (4,205 m)
Kodiak Island, Alaska 57°28′N 153°26′W / 57.467°N 153.433°W / 57.467; -153.433 (Kodiak Island) – most extensive Gulf of Alaska island at 3,595.09 square miles (9,311.2 km2)
Island of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico 18°15′N 66°30′W / 18.250°N 66.500°W / 18.250; -66.500 (Island of Puerto Rico) – most extensive island of U.S. Caribbean territory at 3,515.1 square miles (9,104 km2)
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska 55°37′55″N 132°54′27″W / 55.63194°N 132.90750°W / 55.63194; -132.90750 (Prince of Wales Island) – most extensive island of the Alexander Archipelago at 2,577 square miles (6,670 km2)
Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska 63°24′54″N 170°23′58″W / 63.41500°N 170.39944°W / 63.41500; -170.39944 (Saint Lawrence Island) – most extensive Bering Sea island at 1,791.56 square miles (4,640.1 km2)
Unimak Island, Alaska 54°46′6″N 164°11′12″W / 54.76833°N 164.18667°W / 54.76833; -164.18667 (Unimak Island) – most extensive Aleutian island at 1,571.41 square miles (4,069.9 km2)
Long Island, New York 40°52′10″N 73°00′00″W / 40.86944°N 73.00000°W / 40.86944; -73.00000 (Long Island) – most extensive island of the U.S. Atlantic coast at 1,401 square miles (3,630 km2)
Padre Island, Texas 26°50′40″N 97°22′04″W / 26.84444°N 97.36778°W / 26.84444; -97.36778 (Padre Island) – most extensive Gulf of Mexico island at 209 square miles (540 km2) and longest barrier island on Earth at 113 miles (182 km)
Isle Royale in Lake Superior, Michigan 48°0′N 88°55′W / 48.000°N 88.917°W / 48.000; -88.917 (Isle Royale) – most extensive island in a lake in all U.S. territory at 206.73 square miles (535.4 km2)
Whidbey Island, Washington 48°8′11″N 122°34′57″W / 48.13639°N 122.58250°W / 48.13639; -122.58250 (Whidbey Island) – most extensive island of Puget Sound at 168.67 square miles (436.9 km2)
Santa Cruz Island, California 34°0′13″N 119°43′35″W / 34.00361°N 119.72639°W / 34.00361; -119.72639 (Santa Cruz Island) – most extensive of the Channel Islands of California at 97 square miles (250 km2)

text: Lakes[edit]

text:
Lake Michigan-Huron 45°48′N 84°45′W / 45.800°N 84.750°W / 45.800; -84.750 (Lake Michigan-Huron) – largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, at 45,300 square miles (117,000 km2), of which 31,507 square miles (81,600 km2) is within the United States.
Lake Superior 47°42′N 87°30′W / 47.700°N 87.500°W / 47.700; -87.500 – Lying along the Canada–United States border, it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, at 31,700 sq mi (82,100 km2), of which 20,600 square miles (53,350 km2) is within the United States.[22] It is also North America's largest lake by volume, at 2,900 cu mi (12,000 km3); it is commonly called the largest lake by surface area when Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are not considered one lake.
Great Salt Lake, Utah, 41°10′N 112°35′W / 41.167°N 112.583°W / 41.167; -112.583 (Great Salt Lake) – most extensive endorheic lake, at 1,700 square miles (4,400 km2)
Crater Lake, Oregon, 42°57′N 122°5′W / 42.950°N 122.083°W / 42.950; -122.083 (Deepest point in Crater Lake) – deepest lake, at 1,943 feet (592 m)[23]

text: Rivers[edit]

text:
Mississippi River 29°9′4″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333 (Mississippi River) – most extensive river basin at 1,151,000 square miles (2,980,000 km2)
Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson Rivers 29°9′4″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333 (Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson Rivers) – longest river system at 3,902 miles (6,280 km)
Missouri River 38°48′49″N 90°7′11″W / 38.81361°N 90.11972°W / 38.81361; -90.11972 (Missouri River) – longest main stem river at 2,341 miles (3,767 km)
Mississippi River 29°9′4″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333 (Mississippi River) – longest Gulf of Mexico main stem river at 2,202 miles (3,544 km)
Yukon River 62°35′55″N 164°47′40″W / 62.59861°N 164.79444°W / 62.59861; -164.79444 (Yukon River) – longest Bering Sea main stem river at 1,979 miles (3,185 km)
Colorado River 31°48′57″N 114°48′22″W / 31.81583°N 114.80611°W / 31.81583; -114.80611 (Colorado River) – longest Gulf of California main stem river at 1,450 miles (2,330 km)
Columbia River 46°14′39″N 124°3′29″W / 46.24417°N 124.05806°W / 46.24417; -124.05806 (Columbia River) – longest Pacific Ocean main stem river at 1,243 miles (2,000 km)
Saint Lawrence River 49°40′N 64°30′W / 49.667°N 64.500°W / 49.667; -64.500 (Saint Lawrence River) – longest Atlantic Ocean main stem river at 600 miles (970 km)
Bear River 41°27′30″N 112°17′25″W / 41.45833°N 112.29028°W / 41.45833; -112.29028 (Bear River) – longest endorheic basin main stem river at 491 miles (790 km)

text: Extreme distances[edit]

text:
Greatest east–west distance in the 48 contiguous states: 2,800 miles (4,500 km)
Greatest north–south distance in the 48 contiguous states: 1,650 miles (2,660 km).[24]
Greatest distance between any two points in U.S. territory: 9,514 miles (15,311 km), from Point Udall, Guam, to Point Udall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly known as Orote Point and East Point, respectively).[25]
Greatest distance between any two points in the 50 states: 5,859 miles (9,429 km), from Kure Atoll, Hawaii, to Log Point, Elliott Key, Florida.[25]
Greatest distance between any two points in the contiguous 48 states: 2,901 miles (4,669 km), from North Farallon Island, California, to Sail Rock, east of West Quoddy Head, Maine.[25]
Greatest distance between any two mainland points in the contiguous 48 states: 2,892 miles (4,654 km), from Point Arena, California, to West Quoddy Head, Maine.[25]
Greatest east–west distance in U.S. territory [?]: 5,823 miles (9,371 km), from Kure Atoll, Hawaii, to Riviera Beach, Florida.[25]


document_title: Star-crossed

question_text: who said a pair of star crossed lovers

question_tokens: who said a pair of star crossed lovers

text: Star-crossed

text: Definitions[edit]

text: The phrase was coined in the prologue of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

text:
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life (5–6).[2]

text: It also refers to destiny and the inevitability of the two characters' paths crossing. It usually but not always refers to unlucky outcomes, since Romeo and Juliet's affair ended tragically. Further, it connotes that the lovers entered into their union without sufficient forethought or preparation; that the lovers may not have had adequate knowledge of each other or that they were not thinking rationally.[1]

text: (The original texts of the prologue, Q1 and Q2, use the spelling "starre-crost", but the version "star-cross'd" is normally used in modern versions.)

text: Famous examples[edit]

text: Examples of famous star-crossed lovers vary in written work. Pyramus and Thisbe are usually regarded as the source for Romeo and Juliet,[3] and is featured in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Wuthering Heights, considered to be one of the greatest love stories in literary works,[4] is a tale of all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between the star-crossed Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.

text: Lancelot, a trusted knight of King Arthur's Round Table, and Guinevere, the queen of Camelot and wife of Arthur, were involved in a star-crossed affair. In some versions of the tale, she is instantly smitten, and when they consummate their adulterous passion, it is an act which paves the way for the fall of Camelot and Arthur's death.

text: The legend of Tristan and Iseult (also known as Tristan and Isolde) is an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with as many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the lovers. The narrative predates and most likely influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, and has had a substantial impact on Western art and literature since it first appeared in the 12th century. While the details of the story differ from one author to another, the overall plot structure remains much the same.

text: Pedro of Portugal and Inês de Castro shared a true and tragic love in the Portuguese 14th century. The dramatic circumstances of their relationship, forbidden by Peter's father, King Afonso IV, Inês' murder at the orders of Afonso, Peter's bloody revenge on her killers and the legend of the coronation of her exhumed corpse by Peter, have turned their story into a frequent subject of art, music, and drama through the ages.

text: Hero and Leander is a Greek myth, relating the story of Hero (Greek: Ἡρώ), a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos, at the edge of the Hellespont, and Leander (Greek: Λέανδρος, Leandros), a young man from Abydos on the other side of the strait. Leander fell in love with Hero and would swim every night across the Hellespont to be with her. Hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way.

text: Pelléas and Mélisande (French: Pelléas et Mélisande) is a Symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck about the forbidden, doomed love of the title characters. A classical myth, was a common subject for art during the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

text: Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. The play (also described as one of Shakespeare's problem plays) is not a conventional tragedy, since its protagonist (Troilus) does not die.[5] The play ends instead on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus and Cressida.[5] Venus and Adonis is classical myth during the Renaissance. Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab.

text: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl refers to a number of mythical and folkloric explanations of the origins of the volcanoes Popocatépetl ("the Smoking Mountain") and Iztaccíhuatl ("white woman" in Nahuatl, sometimes called the Mujer Dormida "sleeping woman" in Spanish)[6] which overlook the Valley of Mexico.

text: Layla and Majnun ( by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi) is a classical Arabian love story . It is based on the real story of a young man called Qays ibn al-Mulawwah from the northern Arabian Peninsula,[7] in the Umayyad era during the 7th century. There were two Arabic versions of the story at the time.[8] In one version, he spent his youth together with Layla, tending their flocks. In the other version, upon seeing Layla he fell passionately in love with her. In both versions, however, he went mad when her father prevented him from marrying her; for that reason he came to be called Majnun Layla, which means "Driven mad by Layla". To him were attributed a variety of incredibly passionate romantic Arabic poems, considered among the foremost examples of the Udhari school.

text: The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend about the tragic romance between two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The legend is sometimes regarded as the Chinese equivalent to Romeo and Juliet.[9][10]

text: Other classic star-crossed lovers include Devdas and Paro (Parvati) in Devdas, Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta in The Iliad, Oedipus and Jocasta in Oedipus Rex, Mark Antony and Cleopatra during the time of the Roman Empire, Khosrow and Shirin during the time of Sassanid Persia, Heloise and Peter Abelard during the Middle Ages, and Emperor Jahangir and Anarkali, Cyrano and Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac, Hagbard and Signy and Maratha Peshwa (Prime Minister) Bajirao and Mastani during the peak of Maratha Empire.

text: Modern examples[edit]

text: In soap opera, modern examples of star-crossed lovers have included couples such as Cliff Warner and Nina Cortlandt, JR Chandler and Babe Carey and Bianca Montgomery and Maggie Stone from All My Children.[11][12][13]

text: Prime time has had various star-crossed lovers labeled as notable and "unforgettable" love stories. IGN considers Buffy Summers and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to be one of the genre's most tragic and notable star-crossed pairings.[14] The Doctor bidding farewell to his companion Rose Tyler in Doctor Who has been named one of the greatest love scenes in science fiction.[15] Cole Turner and Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed, Michael and Nikita from La Femme Nikita, Kara Thrace and Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica, Clark Kent and Lana Lang from Smallville, as well as Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer from One Tree Hill are other star-crossed couples from the genre.[16][17][18][19][20] Clarke Griffin and Commander Lexa from the TV series The 100 are considered star-crossed lovers as well.[21]

text: With film or within modern novels and books, such star-crossed couples as Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan from "A Walk to Remember", Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala from the Star Wars saga, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist from Brokeback Mountain, and Jake and Neytiri from Avatar have been included.[22][23][24][25][26]

text: Video games too have featured star-crossed couples[27] across different genres, particularly role-playing video games: Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII have been cited as a well-known star-crossed love story.[28][29] Tidus and Yuna from Final Fantasy X have also been called star-crossed lovers.[30] Zero and Iris from Mega Man X4 are another notable example.[28]

text: In 2008, a web-based reality soap opera was created based on the concept of being star-crossed. In Starcrossed, Fox News astrologer Greg Tufaro takes a couple in crisis and separates them for one cycle of the moon. Each is then set up with individuals who are a better match astrologically. The show puts the question "Is love written in the stars?" to the test with the couple deciding on the 28th day of their separation whether they will stay together or remain apart.[31]