Mother's Day is an event celebrated in many countries throughout the world in honour of mums. Although not an official holiday, some countries celebrate it on the same day every year, but in other places, the date changes on an annual basis.
Several countries around the world, including the US and India, are celebrating the occasion this weekend on May 11, the second Sunday in May.
However, in the UAE, for instance, the occasion has already passed, it was March 21, and in the UK, Ireland and Nigeria, it was celebrated on March 30.
When is Mother's Day around the world?
The reason that Mother's Day is celebrated at different times of the year dates back to the origins of the day in each country.
The first traces of Mother's Day can be found in Greek mythology when goddess Rhea, the mother of Zeus, was honoured in spring. In the Middle East, most countries celebrate the day on March 21 – which is the spring equinox.
This includes the UAE, as well as Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.
The tradition of “Mothering Sunday”, as we know it today, can be traced to an early Christian festival of the same name. Celebrated on the fourth Sunday during Lent, it was initially intended as a date to encourage people to return to their local or “mother” church for a special annual service.
Over the centuries, the meaning evolved to incorporate the celebration of family, specifically mothers, and although the religious aspect was largely lost, by the 17th century, it had become customary to give mothers gifts on this day.
This tradition of celebrating mums on the fourth Sunday during Lent has remained in the UK and Ireland. And while the date changes each year, this year, Mother’s Day was celebrated on March 30.
In the US, the occasion is a modern holiday that began in 1914. Many countries around the world follow the US by celebrating the occasion on the second Sunday of May. This includes India, New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka.
In the Philippines, Mother's Day was traditionally celebrated on the first Monday in December. But for the past few decades, Filipinos typically celebrate the occasion on the second Sunday in May, following the US custom.
There are a number of countries that celebrate Mother's Day with their own unique days. In Thailand, Mother's Day is marked on August 12, the birthday of Queen Mother Sirikit, the mother of King Vajiralongkorn, the current king, who is also known as Rama X.
In Indonesia, Mother's Day celebrations take place on December 22 and all women are celebrated, not just mums.
French Mother's Day is celebrated in May, but on the last Sunday of the month rather than the second. This year, France will celebrate it on May 25.
In Argentina, mums are celebrated on the third Sunday of October, which was the old date for the celebration of the Virgin Mary. That feast was moved to January by the Second Vatican Council, but Mother's Day in October remains the norm across the country.
Russia only began celebrating Mother's Day in the 1940s and marks the day on the last Sunday in November.
A version of this story was first published in March 2024
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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