Brussels, May 11, 2025 — The Europe Today: From Belgium to Bangladesh, countries across the world are celebrating Mother’s Day today, the second Sunday in May. But one place breaks with this global tradition: the Belgian province of Antwerp, where Mother’s Day falls not in May, but on 15 August.
This unusual local custom dates back to 1913, when Frans Van Kuyck, a liberal councillor and artist, launched a campaign through a pamphlet titled The Mother’s Day. In it, Van Kuyck called for a special day to honour mothers and revive family values. He proposed 15 August—Assumption Day—which is also the name day of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The choice was deeply symbolic, aligning motherhood with religious reverence.
Antwerp’s deep connection with Mary as its Patron Saint—a title she has held since the Middle Ages—cemented the tradition. Even after U.S. President Woodrow Wilson officially established Mother’s Day in 1914 on the second Sunday in May, a date which spread to much of Western Europe by the 1920s, Antwerp stood firm.
And the local independence doesn’t stop with mothers. Antwerp celebrates Father’s Day on 19 March, aligning with the Feast of Saint Joseph, rather than the international norm of the second Sunday in June.
Over a century later, Antwerp families continue to uphold their own calendar for honouring parents—rooted in religious tradition, civic pride, and a bit of local defiance.
