Mother's Day

====France====
In [[France]], amidst alarm at the low birth rate, there were attempts in 1896 and 1904 to create a national celebration honoring the mothers of large families.<ref name="UFE">{{citation |title= Histoire de la fête des mères et celle de "l'Union fraternelle des pères de familles méritants d'Artas" |publisher= Union des Familles en Europe |url= http://www.uniondesfamilles.org/fete-des-meres.htm |access-date= 7 May 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110429110636/http://www.uniondesfamilles.org/fete-des-meres.htm |archive-date= 29 April 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref> In 1906 ten mothers who had nine children each were given an award recognising "High Maternal Merit" ("Haut mérite maternel").<ref name="Artas">{{citation |title = Artas, berceau de la Fête des mères |publisher= mairie d'Artas |url= http://www.artas-mairie.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=71 }}</ref> American World War I soldiers fighting in France popularized the US Mother's Day holiday created by Anna Jarvis. They sent so much mail back to their country for Mother's Day that the [[Union Franco-Américaine]] created a postal card for that purpose.<ref name="UFE" /> In 1918, also inspired by Jarvis, the town of Lyon wanted to celebrate a "journée des Mères", but instead decided to celebrate a "Journée Nationale des Mères de familles nombreuses." The holiday was more inspired by anti-depopulation efforts than by the US holiday, with medals awarded to the mothers of large families.<ref name="UFE" /> The French government made the day official in 1920 as a day for mothers of large families.<ref name="capdevila">Luc Capdevila (CRHISCO – [[University of Rennes 2]]), Fabrice Virgili (IHTP – [[Centre national de la recherche scientifique|CNRS]]), "[http://irice.cnrs.fr/IMG/doc/Guerre_femmes_nation.doc Guerre, femmes et nation en France (1939–1945)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728110925/http://irice.cnrs.fr/IMG/doc/Guerre_femmes_nation.doc |date=28 July 2011 }}", in IRICE.</ref> Since then the French government awards the [[Médaille de la Famille française]] to mothers of large families.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.connexionfrance.com/Mag/French-Facts/France-honours-parents-who-raise-large-families|title=France honours parents who raise large families|date=1 March 2016|newspaper=[[The Connexion]]|access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>

In 1941, by an initiative of [[Philippe Pétain]], the wartime [[Vichy France|Vichy]] government used the celebration in support of their policy to encourage larger families, but all mothers were now honored, even mothers with smaller families.<ref name="capdevila" />

In 1950, after the war, the celebration was reinstated. The law of 24 May 1950 required (in Article 1) that the Republic pay official homage to French Mothers. Article 2 stated it should be celebrated on the last Sunday in May as the "Fête des Mères" (except when Pentecost fell on that day, in which case it was moved to the first Sunday in June). Article 3 stated that all expenditure shall be covered from the budget of the Ministry of Public Health and Population.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000886326| title=Loi no 50-577 du 24 mai 1950 relative à la Fête des mères| trans-title=Law No. 50-577 of 24 May 1950 relating to Mother's Day| access-date=30 December 2017| publisher=[[JORF]]| language=fr}}</ref>

During the 1950s, the celebration lost all its patriotic and natalist ideologies, and became heavily commercialized.<ref name="UFE" />

In 1956, the celebration was given a budget and integrated into the new [[Code de l'action Sociale et des familles]]. In 2004 responsibility for the holiday was transferred to the Minister responsible for families.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}