What is the Origin of Mother's Day?

Celebrated in Ireland & UK on the fourth Sunday of Lent (mark it on your calendar!), Mother’s Day has been around since 16^th century, and to this day is celebrated in more than 50 countries. Originally known as Mothering Sunday in the UK, we will explore the origins of this worldwide holiday, look at the US history behind it, and go back as far back as ancient history! Stay tuned for 6 different ways to celebrate this heart-warming occasion.

Mothering Sunday: Religious Origins

The fourth Sunday in Lent, three weeks before Easter Sunday, marks the Mother’s Day holiday that came from Mothering Sunday.

Originally, this was a day to honour the virgin Mary in Christian traditions in the UK.
These celebrations would involve people visiting their ‘mother’ church. People throughout England and Ireland traditionally visited their nearest church for mass, but Mothering Sunday was an occasion where visiting one’s mother church was most necessary.

 This was the main church or cathedral in a family’s area. The spread of Christianity increased the number of people celebrating and honouring mother Mary, putting Mothering Sunday on the calendar. Returning home to one’s Mother Church was considered an essential family occasion, reuniting many families. This was especially important for families with children (even as young as ten years old) who worked as domestic servants away from home. While the celebration had a firm following, it did not last very long. Since the 16^th century, it started decreasing in popularity by 1935. However, when WWII came around, the Canadians and Americans found worth in celebrating their mother figures, and so through hardship, their mothers' importance was recognised even more.

Mother’s Day in the US

Celebrated in the US on the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day was formed much later than Mothering Sunday in 1908 by Anna Jarvis from West Virginia. The focus of Mother’s Day was for children to celebrate their mothers After the death of her own mother, she spent time pushing for a holiday to encourage everyone to celebrate their mothers. Eventually, her ambitions were rewarded with President Woodrow Wilson’s decision in 1914 to finally make it an official holiday in the US. Over time this became an opportunity to also celebrate aunts, grandmothers, mothers-in-law, and others who would have had relevance as a motherly figure.

Unfortunately, the holiday became more and more commercialised over time and became something Jarvis despised, referring to it as “Hallmark Holiday”. She would then spend the rest of her life opposing the day, until she died in 1948. Mother’s Day is still popular and remains one of the biggest holidays for selling cards and flower.

Earlier Roots of Mother’s Day Celebrations

While we understand Mother’s Day to have more recent origins, similar celebrations can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Festivals were held in Greece to honour the mother of the gods, and wife of Cronus. Greek citizens celebrated by presenting offerings of flowers and food to Rhea. Meanwhile, the Romans dedicated a temple to their own mother of the gods; Cybele (also known as Magna Mater). They participated in what they called the Festival of Hilaria, held in March, in which they would offer gifts to their goddess.

Incidentally, these traditions are quite identical to the Mother’s Day we are familiar with today. People in various parts of the world, albeit at different times of the year, still to this day will provide their mums with nice food, gifts, cards, and a day to completely relax (that’s realistic, right?).

Different Mother’s Day Dates Around the World

Traditionally, we see Mother’s Day as more of a western celebration. However, the holiday has become popular in other parts of the world. Here are the dates different countries celebrate:

• Ireland / UK – Fourth Sunday in Lent

• United States – Second Sunday in May

• Ethiopia – Second Sunday of May

• Thailand – August 12^th

• Russia – Last Sunday of November

 Mother’s Day Celebration Ideas

• 1 - Food, Glorious Food!
  What better way to give thanks to you mum than to provide her with some great meals. Breakfast in bed, taking her out to brunch, dinner, or maybe even cooking a family recipe together may be a really touching way of showing your appreciation.
  
  
  
• 2 – Time to Unwind
  Is she usually run off her feet making sure everything is in order? Mums have it stressful sometimes, so it’s important we show them that we recognise it and give them a breather. Of course, we shouldn’t just give them one day of rest a year. Mums deserve more than that! However, letting her chill out while everyone else does the housework, or helping her with her to-do list can certainly be a nice way of lessening her workload.
  
  

• 3 – Family Activities / Quality Time
  Is a certain activity your mum has always wanted to try out, but has never had the time, or gotten around to trying it? Outdoor activities can be great fun for families. Perhaps she has always wanted to try horse riding, ice skating, or hiking. Maybe your mum is the more adventurous type and has always dreamed of skydiving! If she’s more of an indoor type of person, try watching a movie together, baking, or something artistic. Either way, you can never go wrong with some quality family time!
  
  

• 4 – Is your mum a wine enthusiast?
  Is there any better way to have a good time with a wine lover than to organise a wine tasting experience? A cheese board and different meats would be a great complimentary gift to this experience.
  
  

• 5 – Purchasing a Meaningful Gift
  Is there a pair of earrings, fluffy pyjamas, or a book your mum has had her eye on for a while? Gifting her something you know she like shows you’ve taken her interests into consideration, and you know she’ll appreciate the gift even more. Alternatively, could take her to an event or concert she has expressed interest in, so you can both/all enjoy quality time together.
  
  

• 6 – A High-Quality Card & Floral Arrangement
  Is she a flower lover? Generally, you can’t go wrong on Mother’s Day with a gorgeous bouquet of her favourite flowers! Whether you grab a bunch, last-minute, from your local shop, or order a gigantic, custom bouquet from a florist in advance, there’s no doubt your mum will appreciate.
  
  (Pro Tip: You might want to avoid certain flowers if she’s allergic to them!)
  
  Click Here for our wide range of high-quality Mother’s Day Cards.

Finding the right way to celebrate Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be complicated. Our lives can get quite noisy these days, so any bit of appreciation, thoughtfulness and quality time is greatly appreciated by our mums.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mums out there!

The Card Gallery Team