Mother's Day quiz questions for a family celebration

Mother's Day is one of those holidays that nearly everyone celebrates, but the details vary wildly depending on where you live. In the UK, Mothering Sunday falls on 15 March in 2026. In the US, Canada, and Australia, it's the second Sunday in May. That alone makes for a decent quiz question. Here are ten more covering the origins, traditions, and famous mothers worth knowing about.

The questions

1In the US, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Which woman is credited with founding the modern American Mother's Day in 1908?

Answer:Anna Jarvis(click to reveal)

She held the first official Mother's Day ceremony at a church in Grafton, West Virginia, three years after her own mother's death. Ironically, she later campaigned against the holiday's commercialisation, upset that greeting card companies and florists had turned it into a money-making exercise.

2In the UK, Mother's Day is better known as Mothering Sunday. How is its date determined each year?

Answer:It falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday)(click to reveal)

Because Easter moves around the calendar, so does Mothering Sunday. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, when people would return to their "mother church" on this day. Over time, it became a day to visit and honour mothers too.

3Which flower is the official symbol of Mother's Day in the United States?

Answer:The carnation(click to reveal)

Anna Jarvis chose white carnations for the first Mother's Day ceremony because they were her mother's favourite flower. She said the white petals stood for purity and faithfulness. The tradition later evolved so that a coloured carnation honours a living mother, while a white one remembers a mother who has passed away.

4A traditional cake is associated with Mothering Sunday in the UK. What is it called?

Answer:Simnel cake(click to reveal)

It's a rich fruit cake with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle and more on top. The cake is decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the apostles, minus Judas. It was originally baked as a treat during Lent, when the usual fasting rules were relaxed.

5Which British queen earned the nickname "Grandmother of Europe" because her children and grandchildren married into royal families across the continent?

Answer:Queen Victoria(click to reveal)

She and Prince Albert had nine children between 1840 and 1857, and their strategic marriages connected the British crown to the royal houses of Germany, Russia, Spain, Sweden and beyond. By the start of World War I, most of Europe's monarchs were her direct descendants, making the conflict something of a family feud.

6Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes during her lifetime. Her daughter also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935. What was the daughter's name?

Answer:Irene Joliot-Curie(click to reveal)

She shared the prize with her husband Frederic for their discovery of artificial radioactivity. The mother-daughter pair remain the only mother and daughter to have both won Nobel Prizes.

7After Christmas and Valentine's Day, Mother's Day is the third biggest card-sending occasion of the year. Roughly how many Mother's Day cards are exchanged in the United States each year: 50 million, 150 million, or 300 million?

Answer:150 million(click to reveal)

That's a lot of "World's Best Mum" cards. It also makes Mother's Day one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants, with families booking out tables for brunch and dinner.

8In many Arab countries, mothers are celebrated on 21 March. What other annual event shares that date?

Answer:The spring equinox (also accept the March equinox or the first day of spring)(click to reveal)

The choice of date ties the celebration of motherhood to renewal and the start of spring. Several countries across the Middle East and North Africa observe it on this date, including Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan.

9Which Scandinavian country celebrates Mother's Day earlier than anywhere else in the world, on the second Sunday of February?

Answer:Norway(click to reveal)

Most countries mark the day in March or May, so Norway's February date catches people off guard. The tradition there dates back to 1919, and the early date means it doesn't clash with other spring holidays.

10In the United States, what is the most popular gift to give on Mother's Day: greeting cards, flowers, or a special outing like dinner?

Answer:Greeting cards(click to reveal)

Flowers are a close second, but cards come out on top year after year. According to the National Retail Federation, around three quarters of Americans buy a card for their mum, and most of those purchases happen in the last five days before the holiday.

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These questions work well as a standalone round or mixed into a bigger family quiz. If you're hosting around Mothering Sunday or the May celebration, throw in a picture round of famous TV and film mothers for a full evening.