In this article, you’ll learn about Mother’s Day in Egypt and how this tradition got its start in modern-day Arab countries. Odds are, you’re already familiar with the concept of عيد الأم (ʿiyd al-ʾum), or Mother’s Day-this holiday is widespread, celebrated in numerous countries around the world. While exact traditions and connotations may vary from one culture to another, one thing remains constant: Mother’s Day is a time to honor and show appreciation for one’s mother.
The concept of celebrating motherhood is far from new. The modern idea of Mother’s Day began taking shape in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the United States, where activist Anna Jarvis successfully campaigned to make it an official holiday in 1914. Today, Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world, usually in the months of March or May.
Every year on March 21, families across the Arab world celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers, gifts, and heartfelt gatherings. It’s a day dedicated to honoring the sacrifices and love of mothers.
In the MENA region, Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21st. This day, however, has a long history that dates back to Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians held an annual festival to celebrate Isis, a goddess who represented the perfect idea for motherhood, new life and fertility.
Ancient Egyptian Roots
Deity worship played a major role in Ancient Egypt, with royalty and common folk alike worshipping a plethora of gods and goddesses. Many of the goddesses were viewed as Egyptian symbols for motherhood, femininity, sexuality, life, and even death-for this reason, women who wanted children would often pray to their goddess (or goddesses) of choice for their blessing and the general population would present offerings at their temples on a regular basis. Two of the most popular goddesses throughout Ancient Egypt were Isis and Hathor, both of whom had festivals held in their honor. The worship of these goddesses died down over time, and people began to transfer their adoration and respect toward their own mothers.
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Ancient Egyptians held an annual festival to honor Isis, one of the most popular and enduring goddesses of ancient Egypt who represented the ideal mother and wife and was the patroness of nature and magic. The religion of Isis was introduced to the Hellenistic world by the ruler Ptolemy I Soter as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his kingdom which spread across modern day Egypt.
The inscriptions on the walls of the Egyptian temples reveal the level of dignity with which the ancient Egyptians treated their mothers. In addition, the archaeologists have found many papyri manifesting the mothers’ special status to such a high degree that they dedicated a day to celebrate her. Not only did they do that, but also they elevated the mother’s until they reached the rank of the gods, such as Hathor (the ancient goddess of love and motherhood) and Isis (the more famous and well-known ancient goddess of motherhood). Isis was the one who fought long and hard to retrieve her husband Osiris's body parts and restore her son Horus’s rights. A lot of statues portraying her while holding and breastfeeding her baby have been made in her honor. Another example of a strong ancient goddesses is Tweret (the ancient goddess of fertility, pregnancy, and birth).
The papyri, that archaeologists have found, reveal that the ancient Egyptians, also used to celebrate that day with flower decorated processions as they wandered around the cities. They had a lot of names for this day such as the Mother's Holy Day, the Mother of Existence Day, the Mother of Life Day, and Beautiful Mother's Day. They celebrated the mothers who sacrificed their own comfort to take care of their young ones, and made their efforts to help shape their personalities in a way that made them good people, capable of building a community.
Due to this dignified status, the Egyptian woman has gained her absolute freedom to start a new family and make all the decisions and choices concerning this matter without being forced into doing anything so that she can take care of her husband and start raising a new generation. Thus, she became the "housewife" who was responsible for her husband's affairs and with whom she shared everything he owned whether it be food, drink, work, or property, and even a grave.
The ancient Egyptian education system taught the man how to take care of his wife, and raised his awareness towards the need to respect her. In addition, this education instilled in the children the fact that the mother is the closest to the greatest god so if a child wants something to come true, they should resort to their mother and ask them for prayers.
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The Papyrus of “Ani” is considered a very crucial one as it shows how respectful the ancient Egyptian man was towards his wife. In said papyrus, the wise man advises his son to obey his mother and respect her because god gifted her to him and made her delicate, tender and self-sacrificial without expecting anything in return. She endured the stresses and labors of pregnancy for nine months, breastfed her baby, nursed him, and taught him until he became old enough to settle in his new home with his wife.
Moreover, the day they have chosen, since the Pharaonic times, to celebrate Mother's Day is the perfect one, for during this time in March, the land is fertile and fully ready for planting seeds so they would grow rekindling the life surrounding them.
Изображение богини Исиды с младенцем Гором
The Emergence of a Modern Holiday
However, the idea of an official Mother’s Day in Egypt did not grow popular until 1943, when an Egyptian journalist named Mustafa Amin brought it up in his book Smiling America. The idea was largely rejected until 1956, when Mother’s Day was officially made a holiday.
The modern iteration of Mother’s Day in the Arab world once again has its roots in Egypt. Pioneering journalist Mustafa Amin, who attended AUC, helped popularize the establishment of a Mother's Day in Egypt. But as those traditions faded, the origins of Mother’s day in the Arab world can be traced back to Egypt in 1943 where it was set in motion by journalist Mustafa Amin. The celebration has since been mirrored by other Arab countries.
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As mentioned, Egyptian Mother’s Day was first introduced by the journalist Mustafa Amin but was largely rejected for over a decade. Not too long after the publishing of his book Smiling America, Mustafa Amin heard a real-life story of a إبن (ʾibn), or “son,” who left his devoted mother all alone and rarely visited after getting married. The mother’s heart was completely broken because she had given everything for him. Saddened by the story, Amin worked even harder to popularize his idea of Mother’s Day.
In the early 1950s, a widowed woman visited Amin at his office, sharing a heartbreaking story, after raising her children alone and sacrificing everything for them, they had abandoned her completely once they became successful. Determined to bring attention to the role of mothers in society, Amin proposed the idea of a national Mother’s Day and launched a campaign to promote it. His twin brother, Ali Amin, who was also a journalist and the co-founder of Akhbar Al-Youm supported the effort by writing about it in his daily newspaper column Fikra (An Idea) on December 9, 1955.
“Why don’t we dedicate a day to celebrate mothers, just as we celebrate other national occasions? Amin sent an official request to the government and began campaigning for recognition. By word of mouth and persistence, the story of the widowed mother reached the masses and was used to promote the holiday until the idea was accepted by president Gamal Abdel Nasser; 10 years after its introduction.
The idea resonated with the public, and readers overwhelmingly supported the proposal. In 1956, Amin successfully persuaded then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser to officially declare March 21 as Mother’s Day in Egypt.
Мустафа Амин
Mother's Day was neglected for many years until the Amin brothers (Mustafa and Ali), the founders of Akhbar El-Youm Newspaper (today’s news newspaper) suggested that it should be celebrated again. In 1943, Ali Amin received a letter from an Egyptian mother complaining about her children's harshness, and ill treatment, consequently, in his book "America Al-Dahka" (The Laughing America), Mustafa Amin wrote advising people to go back to the way it used to be and re-celebrate Mother's Day in honor of their mothers.
Nonetheless, at the time, they were ridiculed by society. In 1956, the Egyptian society began to pay close attention to what Mustafa Amin had to say back in the day and Mother's Day once again became a day of celebrations.
Why March 21st? The choice of March 21 wasn’t random. It marks the first day of spring, a season of renewal and growth. Just as spring represents new beginnings, mothers symbolize nurturing, care, and the cycle of life. Similarly to Ancient Egyptian celebration of women, life and renewal, It was decided that it would be on the first day of Spring.
A Temporary Setback
However, the holiday faced a temporary setback when Amin was arrested in 1965 on charges of espionage. During this time, the Egyptian government attempted to rename the holiday as “Family Day” to distance it from Amin’s legacy.
Despite its popularity, Mother’s Day faced an unexpected challenge. Officials wanted to distance the celebration from his legacy, but Egyptian mothers refused to accept the change. Letters poured in from across the country, demanding the original name be reinstated.
Modern Celebrations
In Egypt, Mother’s Day is celebrated much like it is in the rest of the world. Every year, on the 21st of March, grandchildren celebrate Mother's Day, and sons and daughters offer their gifts to their mothers as a way of expressing their love for her, and honoring their mothers' ongoing dedicated efforts.
Younger children often present their mothers with a gift of some sort, either handmade or bought from a store. It’s not uncommon for schools to hold a special إحتفال (ʾiḥtifal), or “celebration,” to honor mothers. But the celebration doesn’t end with one’s own أم (ʾum), or “mother”! It’s common for children to give cards or other gifts to their female teachers or other prominent female figures in their lives. In addition, some people choose to brighten the day for those women who either don’t have children or whose children have neglected them.
With women at the center, children shower their mothers with gifts, cards, flowers and remind them of their love. Similarly to the story that spearheaded the holiday, it’s important to celebrate and show appreciation to our own mothers and to all the strong women in our lives.
Make sure to thank your mama today for everything she’s done for you and your family. Too often their sacrifices and all they do for their families go unnoticed and unappreciated. Happy Arab Mother's Day!
"A mother is a like school. If prepped and equipped well, she will help raise up an authentically civilized nation." These aforementioned translated poetic verses, originally written in Arabic by the Egyptian poet Hafez Ibrahim in his poem "Al-E'ilem wa Al-Aakhlaq" (Knowledge and Ethics), are the only ones that came the closest to describing a mother's status and her role in building societies and establishing civilizations.
Today, Mother’s Day is an integral part of Egyptian culture, marked by heartfelt gestures, gifts, and public appreciation for mothers.
While Arab Mother’s Day was officially established in the 20th century, the tradition of honoring mothers isn’t new. The goddess Isis, known as the ultimate mother, was worshiped for her nurturing and protective qualities. Annual ceremonies celebrated her, with flower-filled boats drifting along the Nile to symbolize renewal and life.
Mother's Day in the Arab world isn’t just a commercial holiday; it’s a tribute to history, a symbol of gratitude, and a reminder of the sacrifices mothers make. Whether inspired by ancient traditions, a journalist’s mission, or a mother’s unwavering love, the day carries deep meaning.
In the United States of America (USA), the first celebrations of Mother's Day were held in 1870, and 1872 as the social activist, Julia Ward organized the celebrations to achieve her mother's dream of celebrating all the mothers around the world. During which, she asked the ladies to call for a celebration for mothers aiming to support and spread peace in the world. However, these celebrations did not result in much of a change except at a local level.
During the period from 1880 and 1890, many people tried to recognize and acknowledge it as an official holiday but all their attempts failed until Anna Jarvis came into the picture. Anna Jarvis held a memorial ceremony to commemorate her passing mother in 1908. From that day, she launched an extensive campaign to gain an official recognition for the holiday, thus making it an official holiday. In 1940, she finally did it and made her deceased mother's wish come true as her mother used to say: "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial Mother’s Day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life.
However, the name of Mother's Day goes back to Anna Jarvis as in 1912, she founded the Mother's Day International Association and emphasized that the term "mothers" should be in the singular form not the plural one to make it a holiday celebrating each mother with her own family.
The countries of the world have not agreed upon a unified date for Mother's Day as it differs from one country to another according to the culture, vision, and history of each society. For instance, in Egypt and the Arab world, they have agreed to celebrate it on the first day of the spring as they used to in the Pharaonic times, whereas in Norway, they celebrate it on the 2nd of February, on the 3rd of October in Argentina, and on the 1st of May in South Africa.
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