Mother's Day in Japan
- April Dykes
- 5月11日
- 読了時間: 5分
Mothers and mother figures are an important part of most of our journeys. Whether a birth mother, stepmother, or someone who you view in a maternal light, today is a perfect day to honor them. Today, in Japan, America, Canada, and other countries, we celebrate Mother’s Day.
While we are all familiar with Mother’s Day, worldwide, we don’t celebrate it on the same day. Some countries celebrate it in March, while others, like us, celebrate it on the 2nd Sunday in May. Whether you know it as Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday, the meaning is the same: to celebrate your mother figures, new mothers, and mothers-to-be, while showing appreciation for the ways they make life better.
What is a mother? Biologically, a mother is a woman who gives birth to a child. A mother is also a woman who is maternal in their care, affection, and devotion to see you do well in life. Not everyone who gives birth is a mother. Some amazing mothers have never given birth, so it goes to show that the lack of a blood connection doesn’t indicate a lack of connection.
“During the Middle Ages, the custom developed of allowing people who had moved away from where they grew up to come back to visit their home or 'mother' churches, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of the Christian festival of Lent” (NewsRound). This custom became known as Mothering Sunday without a set date due to Lent changing every year. That custom continued into the 1900s with servants and children being given time off to visit their mothers and their mother churches. Bringing flowers to their mothers or the church became a custom that shifted the day into a gift-giving holiday. By the 1920s, Mothering Sunday began to lose popularity. Mother’s Day, as we know it, was created in America by a woman named Anna Jarvis.
Ann Jarvis, the inspiration for Mother’s Day, was known for helping mothers with programs such as ‘Mothers’ Day Work Clubs’ and ‘Mothers’ Friendship Day’ in the 1800s. These programs helped teach women how to care for their children and helped bring mothers together to solve issues such as reconciliation between former US Union and Confederate soldiers. Ann Jarvis remained active until her death in 1905.
Her daughter, Anna, continued her mother’s work and found her own path. After her mother passed away, she held a memorial service on May 12, 1907, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. This served as a memorial service for her mother and a way to honor other mothers, highlighting the importance of celebrating our mothers while they’re still with us. Since the first official observance of Mother’s Day in 1907, Anna Jarvis made it her mission to make it an official holiday.
In 1908, with the backing of John Wanamaker, a Philadelphia department store owner, she organized the official Mother’s Day celebration at a church in West Virginia. With the success of the Mother’s Day celebration, she continued to work towards achieving her goal by starting a letter campaign. These celebrations and campaigns resulted in many towns, churches, and states making Mother’s Day an annual holiday for themselves.
With the creation of so many Mother’s Day celebrations, Anne Jarvis created the Mother’s Day International Association to further promote her cause. In 1914, Mother’s Day was officially recognized as a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson. This proclamation designated the second Sunday as Mother’s Day. “In his first Mother’s Day proclamation, Wilson stated that the holiday offered a chance to ‘[publicly express] our love and reverence for the mothers of our country” (History).
The popularity of a day celebrating mothers began to spread and eventually reached Japan. Before its May celebration, Mother’s Day was once celebrated in March. “Mother’s Day in Japan was originally held on March 6, 1931, to celebrate the birthday of Empress Kojun, the mother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, but it was banned as a Western influence during World War II. In 1949, Japan began celebrating Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May” (Lineberry, 2024).
Every country has its own traditions for honoring mothers and mother figures on this special day. In Japan, it is common to give mothers red carnations and to prepare oyakodon for them. Red carnations symbolize love and affection. They can also be used to express romantic love, in case you want to give them to your spouse on Mother’s Day. Oyakodon is translated as parent and child donburi (rice bowl). This symbolic dish is a simple donburi with egg toppings. Though it may not be the most visually tantalizing dish, it is said to be very delicious.
Have you ever had oyakodon before?
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Every custom has their own unique Mother’s Day traditions. While Anne Jarvis never wanted the holiday to become commercialized, I would like to believe that the true meaning can still be seen in the way we honor and support mothers. So, let’s take this opportunity to highlight some nonprofit organizations that support mothers from all walks of life here in Japan. If these organizations interest you, please consider donating or spreading the word.
Being a single mother in Japan still has a stigma associated with it. So, this nonprofit organization supports mothers as they navigate motherhood and the challenges that come with raising a child alone and ensuring those stigmas don’t hinder their potential to become independent. This nonprofit helps single mothers through its counseling services, employment programs, and various courses to help mothers deal with childrearing and more.
“Our mission is to support single mothers in need; however, our ultimate goal is for society as a whole to change, for the problems of being a single mother to be resolved, and as a result for the "Japan Single Mothers Support Association" to cease to exist” (Fit for Charity).
This nonprofit offers many more services that strive to make pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum a joyous occasion without the stress of communicating and trying to understand the differences in their country’s birthing practices and Japan. This is made possible by the services they offer, such as the creation of birth and postnatal plans, mother preparation classes, and more. They even provide support for mothers whose children need to stay in the NICU.
HELP is a non-governmental organization that runs an emergency shelter for women and children who could be facing homelessness or fleeing from a dangerous situation. They help without discrimination, Japanese and non-Japanese alike. HELP guarantees a safe place to stay with 3 meals a day. Please note that there is a 2-week limit on staying in the shelter.
How will you celebrate Mother's Day today? Let us know in the comments below or tag us on social media to share your story!
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