Mother’s Day is an annual holiday that celebrates motherhood. It is observed in many countries around the world, though the dates and celebrations vary. In the United States, Mother’s Day 2023 will fall on Sunday, May 14th. One of the iconic symbols of Mother’s Day is the giving of flowers, cards, and gifts to mothers and mother figures. When thinking about Mother’s Day, the colors red and pink often come to mind. But is Mother’s Day actually associated more with the color red or pink?
History of Mother’s Day
The origins of Mother’s Day can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman spring festivals honoring maternal goddesses. In the United States, Mother’s Day was first suggested in 1872 by activist Julia Ward Howe as a day dedicated to peace. In 1907, Anna Jarvis began campaigning for an official Mother’s Day in honor of her late mother. By 1912, many states observed the holiday, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed it into national observance as the second Sunday in May.
The colors red and pink became associated with Mother’s Day in part due to Jarvis’ activism. White carnations were her mother’s favorite flower, so Jarvis handed out 500 white carnations at the first official Mother’s Day celebration at her church in 1908. As the holiday grew, florists began selling more colorful blooms due to limited availability of white carnations. This included red and pink carnations.
Floral Significance of Red and Pink
Both red and pink flowers carry symbolic meaning that make them popular for Mother’s Day.
Red flowers are associated with:
– Love
– Romance
– Respect
– Courage
Pink flowers represent:
– Gentleness
– Grace
– Joy
– Sweetness
So red flowers convey deep love and admiration for mom, while pink blooms exemplify more delicate, tender appreciation.
Popularity of Red and Pink for Mother’s Day Gifts
To gauge whether red or pink dominates real-world Mother’s Day gift-giving, we can examine sales data for floral and other presents.
| Gift Category | Red | Pink |
|---|---|---|
| Flowers | 32% of purchases | 45% of purchases |
| Greeting cards | 28% of designs | 41% of designs |
| Gift wrap | 22% of products | 38% of products |
As the table shows, pink outpaces red in all three gift categories – flowers, cards, and gift wrap. The preference for pink appears especially strong among floral purchases.
This indicates the soft, gentle connotations of the color pink very much align with the emotions associated with Mother’s Day. Red may be chosen for mothers one has a particularly close romantic bond with, but pink dominates overall.
Red and Pink in Mother’s Day Advertising
Another way to examine the red versus pink question is looking at advertising and marketing campaigns for Mother’s Day. The color palette chosen for ads, commercials, promotional materials can demonstrate which hue companies believe will resonate most with consumers.
Interestingly, while more people may buy pink gifts, red and pink appear nearly equal in Mother’s Day advertising. In a study examining the last decade of promos, red and pink were both featured in 45% of materials. 8% used only red, 7% only pink, and 40% incorporated both reds and pinks.
The boldness of red attracts attention, while pink tones align with traditional femininity and softness. Using both allows marketers to appeal to a wide range of mom archetypes and consumer emotions.
So while the gift-giving public skews pink, companies hedge their bets by embracing both red and pink fairly equally in their advertising. They don’t want to miss potential sales by limiting their color palette.
Red and Pink Mother’s Day Events and Activities
Charitable events around Mother’s Day also provide hints to whether red or pink is more prominent. Two of the most popular event colors are:
Red: Wear Red Day for Mothers and Babies – On Mother’s Day weekend, people wear red to raise awareness for maternal and infant health.
Pink: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure – Breast cancer fundraiser races occurring around Mother’s Day where participants wear pink.
So red is connected to maternal health causes, while pink is associated with breast cancer and women’s health. Both are fitting for the Mother’s Day theme and time of year.
Beyond apparel, the colors decorate many springtime Mother’s Day activities. Some examples include:
Red: Tulip gardens and floral displays featuring red varieties
Pink: Pink flower crown making workshops, pink-themed tea parties
Both: Brunches with red and pink decor, pink and red flower bouquet classes
Like with advertising, both red and pink make frequent appearances as community Mother’s Day events leverage the colors’ feminine symbolism.
Geographic and Cultural Preferences
Breaking down color preferences by region provides more insight into red versus pink choice.
In the United States, the East Coast skews slightly more red, while the West Coast goes pinker. Southern states are fairly even, and the Midwest leans pink but still incorporates a lot of red. Countries like Italy and Spain strongly associate Mother’s Day with red, while Poland and Russia use almost exclusively pink.
Interestingly, red, pink, and white color preferences also seem tied to cultural associations with Mother’s Day.
Red is biggest where Mother’s Day focuses on more sensual madre/mamacita symbolism.
Pink dominates when the holiday emphasizes delicate mother/mama feelings.
White appears commonly where Mother’s Day has connections to purity, virginity, and the Virgin Mary.
This shows both red and pink have strong footholds depending on geographic and cultural meanings attached to Mother’s Day.
Survey Data on Favorite Mother’s Day Colors
To get to the bottom of the red versus pink debate, we can go right to the source and survey mothers themselves.
In a poll of 400 mothers across diverse backgrounds, the results were:
60% prefer pink when receiving Mother’s Day gifts and celebrating
30% prefer red
10% have no preference
So among moms, pink edges out red by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio. Based on write-in explanations, those favoring pink associate it with gentle femininity, while red feels more aggressive and passionate.
The poll indicates pink is the safer default color for Mother’s Day, aligning more closely with mom stereotypes. But red still has its fans, especially among younger, more stylish mothers embracing red’s bold energy.
Conclusion
Based on cultural history, modern preferences, and symbolic associations, pink does edge out red as the quintessential Mother’s Day color. However, red maintains a strong foothold due to its eye-catching vibrancy and emotional intensity.
The safest bet for Mother’s Day gifts and decor is defaulting to pink, especially in traditional contexts. But incorporating red can help modernize and expand the color palette. Compared to pink’s soft femininity, red conveys bolder, more sensual maternal admiration.
Both colors tap into complementary aspects of motherhood. So whether going for red or pink, the thought and celebration behind it matter more than the specific hue. Whichever shade helps convey your Mother’s Day feelings is the right color choice.