Mother's Day
Historical Context
Mother's Day (Deň matiek) falls every year on the second Sunday of May in Slovakia. It is a cultural day for honouring mothers, observed across the country.
Mother's Day was introduced internationally in the early 20th century and adopted in Czechoslovakia in the interwar period. The communist regime suppressed it in favour of International Women's Day, but after 1989 it returned as a separate observance focused specifically on mothers. The second-Sunday-of-May convention was adopted to align with the Anglo-American date.
Children, including adult children, give flowers, often handmade cards, and small gifts to their mothers and grandmothers. Family lunches are common. Schools and kindergartens hold short performances and craft activities for children to make presents in the days leading up to the Sunday. The day complements rather than replaces 8 March, which is observed more broadly across all women.