Mother’s Day in Germany is celebrated on the same day as in the U.S. which is on the second Sunday in May. This year, it's on May 9. The coinciding date has both advantages and disadvantages.

Mother’s Day in Germany coincides with a second informal holiday of sorts: Deutscher Sekttag, or German Sekt Day. The simple definition of Sekt is that it is Germany’s version of sparkling wine, much as a cava hails from Spain or a prosecco from Italy’s Veneto region. Whereas sparkling wine is the umbrella term for all wines rendered bubbly by the presence of carbon dioxide, a Sekt is made exclusively from grapes grown within Germany and prepared according to established methods. Fun fact: Germany’s annual consumption of sparkling wine, at about five liters per capita, is the highest in the world.

The German association of sparkling wine producers, known as the Verband Deutscher Sektkellereien, has been promoting its product for over two decades now.