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Mother’s Day Blues: The Other Side of a Beloved Egyptian Holiday

March 21, 2023

On the eve of Mother’s Day—which falls on 21 March—shops line up with floral arrangements and endearing gifts to celebrate the occasion. When I asked my mother how she wanted to celebrate this day, she told me she did not want cards or presents. Innately, I thought this was my mother’s way of telling me I should bring cards and presents—except she was being serious. Even with the barrage of advertisements that would otherwise play on people’s emotions and sentimental impulses, this day left no resonance with my mother. My grandmother—my mother’s mother—also hated this day. Both of the strongest women I know scorned a day that is made to celebrate them—so I had to find out why. What is the origin of Mother’s Day? Across much of the Arab world, 21 March is Mother’s Day, a cause intended for celebration. The origins of the holiday are rooted back to the time of the ancient Egyptians and were continued by the Greeks and Romans. Later, in 1953, the day was developed and integrated into the Egyptian calendar by Egyptian journalist Mostafa Amin who wrote to the Ministry of Education advocating…


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