Today is the first Sunday of May, which is Mother’s Day in Hungary. It is a day when people show their appreciation towards mothers and mother figures. Children and grandchildren traditionally visit their mothers and grandmothers on this day, gifting them with flowers, and thanking them for their love and caring.

This special holiday is marked worldwide, but on different dates. In its modern form, the holiday originated in the United States, where it is observed on the second Sunday in May. Many other countries also celebrate the holiday on this date, while some mark the observance at other times of the year. The holiday, however, goes back a long time. Already during the Middle Ages the custom developed of allowing those who had moved away to visit their home parishes and their mothers on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent.

The idea of the holiday was brought to Hungary by a Mrs Pál Petri, who was the wife of a state secretary, who had seen it celebrated in the United States. The first Mother’s Day celebration in Hungary was held on 8 March 1925 in Budapest, for the children of workers at the MÁV machine factory. The leaders of the Red Cross Youth Hungary embraced the idea and lobbied for the introduction of Mother’s Day as a nationwide celebration. Finally, in 1928, a ministerial decree included Mother’s Day among the official school observances.

On this beautiful spring day, Hungarian Conservative pays tribute to irreplaceable motherly love and wishes all mothers and those who celebrate them a lovely Mother’s Day!