Today, Sunday 8th May, is Mother’s Day in Italy. Sometimes the date changes but it is always the second Sunday of May and has been in place since 1957. The tradition here is for children to give notes and hand-made gifts, flowers - and of course - a shared meal.
Enough has been written about mammoni - the 66% of Italians under 35 are still living at home - and of course in a Catholic country, the role of motherhood is very important (mamma mia!) so it seems surprising that the celebration was officialized relatively recently here. Mothers Day in the US has been on the calendar since 1908, since 1917 in Switzerland, 1918 in Finland, 1919 in Norway and Sweden, and 1923 and 1924 for Germany and Austria respectively.
Wherever you are from, the bottom line is as the Italian proverb says - “chi fa più di mamma…. inganna” - anyone who does more for you than your mother does, is surely tricking you!
Have a great day.