By Megan Jungwi

In France, Mother’s Day, or Fête des Mères, is generally celebrated on the last Sunday in May. That is, unless Pentecost falls on this day, in which case Mother’s Day is moved to the first Sunday in June.

 Today, Mother’s Day in France is similar to a birthday celebration. The family gathers together for a good meal and a gift of cake is given to the mother. The cake is often in the shape of a bouquet of flowers. Other common gifts include candies, flowers, cards and perfumes. The children wish their mother a “Bonne fête des mamans.”

Some people attribute the origins of Mother’s Day in France to Napoleon Bonaparte who once said “The future of a child is the work of his mother”.

However, the first official Mother’s Day celebrations did not occur until after World War I – when the focus was on repopulating the country. In 1920 the government created the “National Day for Mothers of Large Families” with celebrations throughout the country. The name changed to “Mother’s Day” in 1928 and subsequently to “Mother’s Festival” in 1941.

During this time period between 1920 and 1941 over 30,000 mothers received bronze, silver, or gold medals based on the number of children they had, thus recognizing their service to the nation. Mothers with four or five children were awarded bronze medals, six or seven children earned a mother a silver medal, and gold medals were given to mothers of eight or more offspring. In 1941 the Vichy government began organizing “festivals of family culture” including a celebration in Reims under the patronage of the Chief of State, Maréchal Petain.

Today France no longer gives medals for large families. However, mothers are still celebrated – as they should be.

“Bonne fête des mamans!”