Today, Thursday, marks Mother’s Day, hence all mothers ponder this day. However, many people did not know that Egypt was the first Arab country to celebrate Mother’s Day in the Arab world, with all Arab countries soon following suit.
Egyptians have chosen a day in the year to honour mothers, and to express their appreciation for them since the Pharaonic era, by designating the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis as a symbol of motherhood.
Throughout the ages, the idea was raised again by journalists Ali and Mostafa Amin, the founders of Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper, as the former received a letter from a mother complaining of ill-treatment from her children.
Meanwhile, another mother visited Mostafa Amin in his office and told him about her story of becoming a widow, and subsequently devoting her life to her children by not remarrying. She became both a father and mother to her children, until they graduated from university and got married. However, they currently only visit her on occasions, she complained.
This prompted and pushed Ali Amin to write, in his famous column ‘Fekra’ (Idea), an article suggesting devoting a special day to celebrate mothers.
His idea gained popularity, and his column’s readers began suggesting dates to mark the occasion.
Accordingly, 21 March was selected as a day to celebrate motherhood throughout the nation, as it signals the beginning of spring.
It was celebrated for the first time in Egypt in1956, during the era of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, after which the entire Arab world adopted the idea of celebrating Mother’s Day.
