Mother's Day flowers in Thailand

Thai Mother's Day falls on 12 August and the flower is jasmine, not roses or carnations. Here is how the day works and how to send flowers that mean the right thing.

Mother's Day (12 August) is Thursday, August 12, 2027. 283 days to go.

Updated November 2, 2026

Not May: 12 August

If you send flowers for a Western Mother's Day, you will be early or late. Thailand marks วันแม่ (wan mae), National Mother's Day, on 12 August. The date was set in 1976 to coincide with the birthday of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, and it has been a public holiday since. In 2026 it fell on a Wednesday.

What changed in 2025 and what did not

Queen Sirikit died on 24 October 2025, aged 93. People abroad often ask whether Mother's Day would change. It did not. On 21 July 2026 the cabinet approved keeping 12 August as an annual public holiday, recognised as the birth anniversary of Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother and as National Mother's Day. A royal merit-making ceremony was ordered in her honour.

Practically, the day remains a day for mothers, with an added note of remembrance. Keep any card respectful. Our etiquette guide covers the wider rules about meaning and tone.

Why jasmine

Jasmine, ดอกมะลิ (dok mali), has been the flower of Thai Mother's Day since 1976. The meaning is simple. The white colour stands for purity and a mother's heart free of selfish desire, and the long-lasting fragrance stands for enduring care. A small flower that does not demand attention is how Thais describe motherly love.

Children present it in several forms:

• Garlands (พวงมาลัย, phuang malai), threaded with jasmine.
• Brooches that a mother can pin on and wear.
• Small bouquets, often at school ceremonies.

Some families make the garland by hand, because the effort is part of the gift. Others buy them from market vendors. At school ceremonies children kneel before their mothers while presenting the garland, a gesture that reflects katanyu, gratitude toward parents. A gift sent from abroad cannot copy that moment, but a jasmine arrangement shares the meaning.

Choosing what to send

If you want to match tradition, ask the florist for jasmine, either as a garland or in an arrangement, or a mixed bouquet built around white flowers. Do not promise your mother a specific variety until the florist confirms it is available where she lives.

Ways to handle it:

• Put jasmine first on your request, and name a white-flower bouquet as the fallback.
• Write on the card why you chose it. A line that says you know jasmine is the flower of the day lands well.
• Avoid a plain white wreath or stand, which looks like a memorial piece. Read our guide to funeral flowers and wreaths if you want to see the difference.

Whose mother, and where

Many people sending flowers are not sending to their own mother. You may be sending to a Thai mother-in-law, a loved one's mother, or a teacher or host mother you want to thank. The same flower works. Use a respectful tone and the title she prefers.

For the logistics, ask someone in the family for the home address in text, a phone number, and a window when someone will be home. For a mother in a condo, read flowers to hotels and condos in Thailand. If the mother is in a hospital on Mother's Day, see our get-well flowers guide before ordering, because ward rules vary.

The card

A line of thanks beats a long message. Our card guide has examples. If you add สุขสันต์วันแม่ (suk san wan mae, happy Mother's Day), have a Thai speaker check the spelling first.

Planning the order step by step

Because 12 August is fixed, you can plan well ahead. Start with the recipient, not the florist.

1. Ask the family what the mother usually does on the day. Some attend a school or community ceremony, some have lunch with the children, some travel.
2. Confirm the address as text, with the soi, the building name and a phone number that is picked up.
3. Brief the florist with the occasion. Say it is for Thai Mother's Day and name jasmine as your first wish, with white flowers as the fallback.
4. Warn the family a day ahead, so the bouquet is received and does not sit at a gate.

If you live abroad and your mother is Thai

Many orders on this day come from Thai families overseas, and there is a particular feeling behind them: the child who cannot kneel before the mother on the day sends the garland in their place. If that is you, include a short message in Thai if you can write it, and ask a sibling to hold a video call at the time the flowers arrive. The flowers do the work of the gesture, and the call gives your mother the moment of being thanked.

If your mother is not in Thailand at all, a jasmine bouquet still makes sense on 12 August, and the date gives you something to tell her about.

Whatever you choose, keep the message about her, not about the occasion. Name one thing she did for you, and say thank you.