Spaniards are similar to the Greeks and Italians when it comes to their families. They love them! Spanish culture is pretty family-oriented and many traditions here are centered on the closest people around you. Of course, that includes your mother too. Both culturally and religiously, the Spaniards' love for their mothers is unlike any other. Their devotion is on a whole new level and you'll likely see it best on Mother's Day. During this special holiday, many Spanish people hear mass together, serve breakfast in bed, and plan getaways, all to celebrate the women who gave birth to them, cared for them, and raised them to be who they are now!
Celebrated on The First Sunday of May
While the rest of the world celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May, Spain does it a little earlier. In this country, Mother's Day is held on the first Sunday of May and it's been that way since 1965. They moved the date for religious reasons, mostly because they consider the month of May as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. So it makes sense that the first Sunday of May will be a day that would commemorate all the mothers in the country.
Two Mother's Day Dates
Even before Mother's Day was moved to the first Sunday of May, however, the
holiday's original date in the Spanish calendar was even further than that! Before 1965, the Spanish celebrated Mother's Day on December 8, which is also the day of the Immaculate Concepcion in the Roman Catholic calendar. This made more sense to the devout Spaniards considering that this day commemorates the time when Jesus Christ was conceived in Mary's womb, thereby making her the official Mother of God. And in turn, this reminds people in Spain about their own mothers and mother figures, the very women who conceived, gave birth, and raised them. For many Spaniards, they still consider December 8 as another Mother’s Day.
Hear Mass Together
You can probably already tell that Mother's Day has a religious connotation here in Spain. And as such, it's become a custom for Spaniards to hear mass during this holiday. Though it helps that the holiday is celebrated on a Sunday, which requires devout Roman Catholics, which make up a good portion of the Spanish population, to hear mass just the same. On this day, it's become common for priests to bestow blessings upon the mothers in the church. Their homilies are also often filled with commemoration for the mother figures in the country and beyond.
Giving a Phone Call
Now, what about those who've moved away from home. Here in Spain, as well as the rest of Europe, it's common for people to move out of their mothers' homes when they reach a certain age. Oftentimes, it's because of work. But for many, it's mostly so that they can live out their lives independently and no longer burden their mothers. In any case, those who've moved far away from their hometowns commonly call their mothers on the phone on Mother's Day. In fact, many
Spanish mobile networks have even reported that their highest volume of calls happens during this time of the year.
Serving Breakfast in Bed
Younger kids in Spain, on the other hand, celebrate Mother's Day by serving breakfast in bed. Since most of the time, it's the moms who wake up extra early to cook food and help prepare their little ones for the day, this holiday puts that responsibility on the children. Not only that, to further let their moms know that they don't have to lift a single finger on their special day, they go so far as to prepare breakfast trays so that the moms don't have to leave their beds. The spouses help out the kids in this regard, of course!
Planning a Getaway
From
Ibiza to
Seville, there are a lot of great places in Spain to travel to. Hence, many Spanish adults take their moms on all sorts of getaways on Mother's Day. Whether it's by the beach or exploring the country's many beautiful towns, it's become a tradition for mothers to escape their everyday lives on this special day. Typically, their adult sons and daughters pay for everything, all the moms have to do is enjoy their time, get pampered, and of course, spend some quality time with their loved ones.
From its different date to its religious undertones, they celebrate Mother's Day a little differently here in Spain. So if you ever plan a trip to this country with your mom on this holiday, it's important to know what their traditions and customs are!
