The origins of Mother’s Day
Every country has its own traditions to celebrate this day
The history of Mother’s Day goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Celebrated on May 11 this year, regardless of its origins it still gives everyone a chance to honour their mothers.
The website www.mothersdaycelebration.com says the roots of Mother’s Day can also be traced in the UK where Mothering Sunday was celebrated in the 1800s.
The celebration of the festival as it is seen today is not even 100 years old.
It was thanks to the hard work of the pioneering women of their times, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis that the day came into existence in America.
Though on different dates, Mother’s Day is currently celebrated in 46 countries when millions of people across the globe thank and honour their mothers.
The website states the earliest history of Mother’s Day dates back to the ancient annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to maternal goddesses.
The Greeks used the occasion to honour Rhea, wife of Cronus and the mother of many deities in the Greek mythology.
Ancient Romans also celebrated a spring festival, called Hilaria dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess.
Early Christians celebrated Mother’s Day during the festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honour of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ.
In England the holiday was expanded to include all mothers. It was then called Mothering Sunday.
It was celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter.
The website states the custom of celebrating Mothering Sunday died out almost completely by the 19th century.
However, the day was celebrated again after World War 2 when American servicemen brought the custom back home and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales.
The idea of official celebration of Mother’s Day in the US was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe in 1872.
Anna Jarvis is recognised as the Founder of Mother’s Day in the US during the early 1900s.
Today Mother’s Day is celebrated in several countries including the US, UK, India, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, Belgium and South Africa.
People take the day as an opportunity to pay tribute to their mothers and thank them for all their love and support.
This day has become commercialised to a great extent, which Jarvis fought against until shortly before her death.
Florists, card manufacturers and gift sellers see huge business potential in the day to make good money through a rigorous advertising campaign.
Every country has its own traditions to celebrate this day.
The website www.theweek.co.uk says it was tradition in Britain to give mothers a simnel cake, a type of light fruit cake with two layers of marzipan, one in the middle and one on the top.
Flowers or chocolates are the more usual gifts for mother on this day.
