Difference between Mother’s Day and Father's Day

Key Difference: Mother’s Day is commonly held on the second Sunday of May in many
countries and honors motherhood, maternal bonds and in the role of a mother in the
society. Father’s Day is commonly held on the third Sunday of June in many countries and
honors fatherhood, paternal bonds and the role of a father in the society.

There are very few people that work

long hours, without holidays and pay and still manage to love their job every day – these people are
known as Parents. Mothers and Fathers work tirelessly towards giving their best to their children.
They are also the most overlooked people, who are never thanked for what they have done.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are two such days that are made to honor these tirelessly
overworked people. However, a lot of people are clueless as to the main difference between these
days – other than the glaring obvious difference, where one celebrates mothers and the other,
fathers.

However, the difference are not limited to only this main one. Both the holidays fall on different days
and for specific reasons. The rise of the holidays are also quite different from each other.

Mother’s Day can be credited to a woman named Anna Jarvis, who first celebrated this day in 1908
in an attempt to honor her mother by holding a memorial for her at St Andrew's Methodist Church in
Grafton, West Virginia. She then started pushing for making Mother’s Day a specified Holiday to
celebrate and honor mothers everywhere. Although initially she was ridiculed by the appropriate
authorities, they finally gave in and established the holiday in 1919. By 1919, many greeting card
companies were already selling Mother’s Day cards.
 Father’s Day is a day that honors a
father’s commitment and dedication to their families. Father’s Day can be credited to a Grace
Golden Clayton, who is believed to be inspired by Jarvis and her attempt to create Mother’s Day.
July 5, 1908 saw the first Father’s Day celebration in the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal
Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, West Virginia.
Claytonwas mourning the loss of her father – who was killed by the Monogah Mining Disaster. She
pushed to create a day that allowed celebrating and mourning the loss of all fathers that day. While,
celebrated individually by people, it did not become an official holiday until 1966.

Both the holidays are believed to be celebrated differently. Studies conducted show that Mother’s
Day is celebrated with far more fanfare than Father’s Day. It also claims that more women are
disappointed on that day than men. Other studies show that mothers are more prone to family
events on that day, while men are more prone to doing solo activities or activities with their male
friends.

Comparison between Mother’s Day and Father's Day:

Mother’s Day Father's Day

Date Second Sunday of May in many Third Sunday of June in many
countries. However, in many other countries. However, in other
countries the dates differ countries the dates differ
Significance Honoring motherhood, maternal Honoring fatherhood, paternal
bonds and in the role of a mother bonds and the role of a father in
in the society the society
Suggested By Anna Jarvis Grace Golden Clayton
First Celebrated 1908 1908
Date of Establishment 1919 1966
Holiday Secular Holiday. Not a federal or Secular Holiday. Not a federal or
public holiday public holiday
Observed by Over 70 countries Over 59 countries
Typical Gifts Flowers, Breakfast in Bed, Holiday Grillers, Ties, Cuff links, Watches,
for mothers from all chores, Spa Day outing for fishing or other
Appointments, Shopping, Jewelry, nature activities, meals, etc.
etc.