Mother’s Day is a special holiday celebrated in many countries around the world to honor and celebrate motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. Many people wonder what the official color is for Mother’s Day and what colors are most commonly associated with the holiday.
There are a few key colors that are traditionally connected to Mother’s Day in the United States and other countries. However, there is no one official universal color for the holiday. The most popular Mother’s Day colors vary by country and culture, but common choices are pink, red, white, purple, and yellow. Let’s take a closer look at the significance of these colors and their association with Mother’s Day.
Pink
Pink is one of the colors most commonly associated with Mother’s Day in the United States and many other countries. Since the early 20th century, the soft, feminine hue of pink has been strongly linked to mothers and motherhood. There are a few reasons behind pink’s enduring connection to the holiday.
Firstly, the color pink is strongly associated with feminine qualities like nurturing, caregiving, and warmth. Since mothers stereotypically embody these traits, pink symbolically honors their feminine spirit. The cultural associations between pink and femininity date back centuries in Western cultures.
Secondly, pink is thought to represent a mother’s love. The color conveys tenderness, sweetness, and affection. Light pink roses or peonies given to mothers on Mother’s Day express admiration, gratitude, and love.
Finally, pink is connected to springtime blooms. Since Mother’s Day falls in spring for most countries, light pink flowers like carnations, tulips, lilacs, and cherry blossoms given as gifts reinforce the color association.
In the United States, the tradition of pink as a Mother’s Day color took off in the early 1900s when carnations were promoted as a Mother’s Day flower. At the time, pink carnations were inexpensive, plentiful, and easy to dye, making them accessible Mother’s Day gifts.
| Country | Most Popular Mother’s Day Color |
|---|---|
| United States | Pink |
| Australia | Purple |
| Japan | Red |
| India | Yellow |
| Mexico | Purple |
Today in the U.S., pink is still the default color for Mother’s Day. Florists stock up on pink flowers, stores sell pink Mother’s Day home decor, clothing, and gift items, and popular gifts like spa packages often incorporate pink accents. While not every mom may love pink, it remains ingrained as the quintessential color for Mother’s Day in American culture.
Purple
While pink reigns supreme in the U.S., purple is the most popular color associated with Mother’s Day in many other countries like Australia, Mexico, and parts of Europe. The purple tradition likely took hold because purple is commonly viewed as a noble, spiritual, and sophisticated color.
In various cultures, shades of purple symbolize wisdom, dignity, devotion, creativity, mystery, independence, and magic. Darker purples like violet and eggplant can convey luxury and opulence. These qualities have made purple a fitting color to celebrate motherhood in many parts of the world.
Purple’s association with royalty and religion has also helped solidify its meaning. In antiquity, purple dye was very rare and expensive, so the color was worn by rulers and nobility. In Catholicism, purple vestments are worn during Advent and Lent as a sign of penance. Orthodox churches use purple vestments during Great Lent. So purple carries solemn, meaningful connotations.
Lastly, purple has medicinal associations that connect to motherhood. In folk medicine, herbs with purple flowers were believed to help treat female reproductive issues and menstrual problems. So the hue gained an affiliation with mothers and “women’s matters.”
Whether it’s lilacs, violets, lavender, or irises, purple blooms given on Mother’s Day in many countries honor mothers with elegance and symbolism.
Red
Red is not as universally associated with Mother’s Day as pink and purple, but it holds special meaning in some cultures.
In Japanese culture, red is strongly tied to Mother’s Day which is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Many Japanese women receive red carnations from their children on this holiday, and it’s traditional to wear a red carnation in your lapel. Red has positive connotations in Japan, signifying life, sunlight, joy, and vitality. Giving red carnations expresses love and appreciation for mothers.
Roses are another popular red flower connected to Mother’s Day in Japan. A single red rose or a bouquet conveys profound love and gratitude for mothers. Red roses are sometimes given by adult children to their mothers along with carnations.
The color red is also significant for Mother’s Day celebrations in South Asia. In India and Nepal where Mother’s Day is celebrated in the Spring, married women dress in red saris or shalwar kameez to honor mothers and mother-figures. Red symbolizes fertility, life force, happiness, and prosperity in Indian culture. Mothers are gifting red flowers like poinsettias or roses by their children.
So while reds and pinks are certainly popular universal Mother’s Day colors, red holds special meaning and symbolism for celebrations in Asia.
White
White is another important color associated with Mother’s Day worldwide. The pure, bright color of white conveys reverence, light, simplicity, and innocence. To many, white symbolizes the special purity of a mother’s unconditional love.
White flowers like roses, lilies, gardenias, and orchids are traditional Mother’s Day gifts. A bouquet of white blooms communicates adoration for moms. Besides flowers, white cakes, treats, clothing items, or jewelry are also popular Mother’s Day gifts, especially for new mothers.
There are a couple reasons why white resonates for Mother’s Day. One is that white has strong spiritual overtones across different faiths and cultures. It is used in religious ceremonies, rites of passage, weddings, and rituals. So white flowers and gifts elevate the meaning of Mother’s Day.
The white color also reminds people of the virginity and purity of Mother Mary in Christianity. Since the Virgin Mary epitomizes the virtues of motherhood, that association reinforces the meaning of white.
No matter the culture, white is an uplifting color that conveys the wonder of motherhood on Mother’s Day.
Yellow
While not as universally popular as other colors, yellow does hold significance for Mother’s Day traditions in some cultures.
In India, yellow is considered the most auspicious, holy color for Mother’s Day because it symbolizes warmth, prosperity, fertility, and happiness. Mothers dress in yellow saris or golden-hued shalwar kameez to celebrate their bonds with their own mothers. Yellow rose gifts are also popular for mothers.
In Germany, the flower of choice for Mother’s Day is the yellow mimosa. The yellow pom poms of mimosa blooms are gifted to moms and motherly figures. Yellow mimosas became a Mother’s Day tradition starting in the 1950s and continue to be popular today.
There are a few reasons why yellow carries meaning. It is a cheerful, joyful color that reflects the radiance of motherhood. Yellow also represents sunflowers, which turn their heads to follow sunlight, as mothers watch over their children. And yellow symbolizes new beginnings, just as a mother births new life.
While not as commonly associated with Mother’s Day as other hues, yellow has its niche in parts of Europe and Asia as a special color to honor mothers.
Conclusion
So in summary, there is no single universal official color for Mother’s Day. But the most popular worldwide are pink, purple, white, and red. Each color carries special meaning that resonates with the concepts of motherhood, family bonds, femininity, and love associated with the holiday.
The prevalence of certain Mother’s Day colors often comes down to cultural customs, flower availability, symbolism, and celebrations by country:
– Pink reigns supreme for Mother’s Day in the U.S. and Canada where carnations and spring flowers bloom in soft pink hues.
– Purple dominates in Australia, parts of Europe, and Mexico where it signifies spirituality, nobility, and creativity.
– Red is strongly connected to Mother’s Day festivities in Japan and India based on positive connotations with life, vitality, fertility, and fortune.
– White conveys reverence and purity of a mother’s love across cultures and faiths.
– Yellow represents joy and new beginnings, especially in India and Germany.
Whatever colors may be used to celebrate motherhood locally, the global significance of honoring maternal bonds and the influence of mothers remains the heart of Mother’s Day worldwide.