Mother’s Day in Kazakhstan Date in the current year: September 15, 2024

On the eve of March 8, 2012 (International Women’s Day), Nazarbayev invited two mothers of many children to his residence in order to present them with the Altyn Alka (Golden Pendant) Award, which is awarded to mothers who gave birth to (or adopted) and raised seven or more children. Handing them the pendants, the president called women the guardians of the hearth and expressed the idea of establishing a special holiday for honoring mothers, citing as an example multiple countries where Mother’s Day has been celebrated for decades.

Of course, celebrating Mother’s Day shortly after International Women’s Day would not be a good idea, so Nazarbayev suggested celebrating the new holiday in the fall, after the end of the harvest season. The decree “On Professional and Other Holidays in the Republic of Kazakhstan” was amended accordingly, establishing the third Sunday of September as the date of Mother’s Day.

On Mother’s Day, Kazakhstanis congratulate the women who gave them life and raised them. In addition, the holiday is designed to emphasize the role of mothers as the guardians of the hearth and family traditions, to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving national traditions and culture, and to educate the youth about the importance of marriage and family.

The first country to celebrate Mother’s Day in its present-day form was the United States. It was first observed at the Initiative of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century. The first state to recognize Mother’s Day as an official holiday was Virginia, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day as a national holiday. A lot of countries celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May like the United States, but many, including Kazakhstan, have their own dates.