Monday the 30th of May is Mother’s Day in Nicaragua. In Spanish it’s known as Día de las Madres, the culmination of the “Month of the Mothers” (El mes de las madres). See below for Nicaragua’s Mother’s Day Myth
Mother’s Day in Nicaragua could become a Public Holiday
Currently there is a bill under consideration that will reform Article 66 of the Labor Code to include May 30th (Mother’s Day) as a Statutory Holiday (Feriado). The bill will need to be submitted to and approved by the National Assembly before coming into effect.
Why the 30th of May?
Anyone researching Mother’s Day in Nicaragua will come across the classic (untrue) story of why it’s always on May 30th. The reason is most often attributed to Anastasio Somoza García, the President of Nicaragua from January 1937 to May 1947 and again from May 1950 until his assassination on 29 September 1956.
The story cited in most sources states that it was Somoza who declared Mother’s Day to be on the 30th of May to honor his mother-in-law; Mrs. Casimira Sacasa, born on that day. An example is here in a 1999 El Nuevo Diario Article entitled “The origin of Mother’s Day”.
Nicaragua’s Mother’s Day Myth
However, Nicaragua wouldn’t be Nicaragua if anything was that simple. The land of lakes and volcanoes is also the land of myths, legends and multiple versions of the simplest historical or geographical fact.
The Myth Busters in the Mother’s Day case were the Academy of Geography and History of Nicaragua (The AGHN) who appear to have discovered the truth.
After an investigation, the AGHN published their findings on June 7th 2011. They determined that yes, Anastasio Somoza García did in fact make such a decree about the date; however it was not for the reason a lot of people have been led to believe.
They cited the birth and death registries for Mrs. Casimira Sacasa which revealed that she was in fact born on January 18, 1872 and the registry entry of her death shows June 28th, 1953.
The AGHN were therefore satisfied that as neither her birth date or the date of her passing (dates that would customarily be used in an individual’s commemoration) were on May 30th, the decree by Somoza creating Mother’s day on that day had nothing to do with his mother-in-law; Mrs. Casimira Sacasa. Nicaragua’s Mother’s Day Myth had been revealed.
So Why the 30th of May?
The AGHN also cited evidence of a written article “The Cult of the Mother” in which it describes that in 1939, a group of ladies and gentlemen had gathered in Santo Domingo Park in Managua on the 30th of May for a Mass to celebrate Mother’s Day. This also proves that Mother’s Day was already in existence in Nicaragua on that day, prior to the so called dedication by Somoza.
Chronological References (supporting the AGHN’s work on Nicaragua’s Mother’s Day Myth.)
1940 – Anastasio Somoza García declares that Mother’s Day in Nicaragua will be celebrated on May 30th each year.
1956 – May 30th was again declared as Mother’s Day with a resolution made by the country’s legislators.
1977 – Anastasio Somoza Debayle (Somoza García’s son) changed that to read “The last Sunday of May” in order to make it more of a family day for the children and their mother.
1980 – The post revolution “National Reconstruction Government Board” repealed that decree from 1977 and Mother’s day reverted back to the current fixed day of May 30th.
May – Month of the Mothers
One of the benefits of keeping Mother’s day on the second to last day of the month is the sales and marketing of the phrase “Month of the Mothers” and the returns it brings retailers. Discounts and promotions are offered by the markets such as Israel Lewites, Huembes and of course the Oriental. The large shopping malls like Metrocentro and Las Galerias and every retailer in between all announce discounts and promotions on products related to Mother’s Day.
Trivia: Nicaragua’s fixed date Mother’s Day of May 30th (no matter what day of the week it falls on) is unique. No other country in the world designates May 30th as Mother’s Day in this way.
This article updates; Mother’s Day in Nicaragua – May 30th from May 2021.
