In the middle of a conversation, Japanese people often ask each other, “What blood type are you?” Why do Japanese people like to categorize people on almost any occasion? For example, they call those who think logically “left-brained,” and those who think emotionally “right-brained.” Similarly, many people keep on labeling others as the “science” type or the “art” type, even years after college graduation. Perhaps categorizing people by blood type is the most extreme example. Maybe it’s true that people can be categorized into types based on what they have in common. However, if you ask “What is your blood type?” to foreigners you meet for the first time, they will be surprised. Perhaps in a country like America, where everyone has a different background, categorizing people is useless.

About 100 years ago, an American woman named Anna Jarvis asked her friends to wear white carnations to church, because Anna’s mother died and she wanted her friends to think of her mother. This became the start of Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day became a day of personal celebration between mothers and their families.

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days around the world. In the U.S. and Japan, Mother’s Day is in May. On Mother’s Day, people give their mothers flowers and Mother’s Day cards. The family also helps with housework.

Mother’s Day is a day to thank your mother for all that she does for the family. Of course, showing thanks can also happen on the other 364 days of the year, but Mother’s Day is a special day just for her.