Mother’s day (or Mothering Sunday) is a huge commercial day in the calendar across the world- a day to honour Mother figures by presenting them with flowers and gifts, and just generally treat them like Queens. But it hasn’t always been that way…
The earliest record of such a celebration dates back to ancient Greeks who held an annual spring festival to celebrate their maternal goddesses, such as Rhea and Cybele.
However, the way we celebrate Mother’s day in the UK today began in the 17th Century. Held on the 4th Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday would be the only day in a year that children would be allowed home from work to visit their families. Some stories say families would return to their Mother church (the church they were baptised in) as a way of bringing together the community. Other stories say that it was a day to celebrate the Virgin Mary, and after a special church service children would present their Mothers with flowers that they had picked on the way.
By the end of the Industrial Revolution, Mothering Sunday had all but disappeared. It wasn’t until after World War Two that Mother’s day as we know it began. Americans had been celebrating Mother’s day, in May, since the early 1800s. Throughout the War, Americans who travelled to the UK bought over their Mother’s day traditions which soon caught on.
Mother’s day and Mothering Sunday have now merged and is still held on the 4th Sunday of Lent; though the origins of each are very different.
No matter how you decide to celebrate Mother’s day this year, make sure to thank all of the significant females in your life for their love and gratitude and treat them like royalty. Trust me, they’ll love you for it and they truly deserve it!
