Expats love multicultural Mother's Day

Mothers should be treated well all-year-round, so why single out one day to be nice to them?

However, this lament is hardly echoed by the UAE’s multicultural mothers, most of whom come from different corners of the world where Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days. Which translates into multiple opportunities to sap up the pampering.

Egyptian roots

ExpatWoman.com states that the UAE’s Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21 along with Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Dubai website editor, Nela Lukic, says that this date originated in Egypt and the UAE was the first of the Arab countries to adopt the tradition. “It has since spread to a few other countries in the Gulf,” she says.

Mother’s Day in Ireland and the UK is on March 30 this year for it always falls on the fourth Sunday in the Christian festival of Lent, when observers spend a month fasting in self-denial and prayer.

Numerous traditions

On the second Sunday in May, that is, May 11 this year, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Japan, India, and the US celebrate the day, while Morocco, Sweden and France do so on May 25.

Lukic, who was born in Croatia and whose father is Croatian, celebrates Serbian customs as her mother is Serbian, although she spent 15 years growing up in South Africa before relocating to the UAE.

“I am not a mother myself, but coming from a multicultural background has always given me a great excuse to spoil my mum with chocolates, a card and even home-made mugs. In South Africa Mother’s Day is on May 11 and that’s when we celebrate.

“Coming from a Serbian background, we also always celebrate Women’s Day (March 8) as an appreciation to all mothers — in South Africa we did this too. Since we are all in the UAE, how fabulous is it that I can spoil my mum three times a year,” she says, and as March 21 this year falls on a Friday, “ I can spend the day out in the great Dubai weather with my mum. I think time is the greatest gift you can give someone.”

South African Cindy Connold, a swimming instructor in Dubai, gets more of the same. “I have one child studying in South Africa and the other at university in the UK, so I get cards, text or WhatsApp messages at three different times of the year. It’s part of the joy of being here,” she says.

Sadhana Page, company manager, says although celebrating Mother’s Day is not a common practice in her home country Sri Lanka, some nationals who have lived abroad in Western countries carry the celebrations home.

Fellow countrywoman Prasadini Dekker has fond memories of Mothering Sunday, which has in many countries become Mother’s Day, often falling on the same day. “Mothering Sunday is the day on which you would break the Lenten fast, if you are abstaining from something such as chocolate or sweets, and enjoy the day in celebration.” This year Mothering Sunday in Sri Lanka falls on March 30. “It is a very personal day for us Christians, although in Sri Lanka it is not widely celebrated as most people are Buddhists.”