Mothers Day Or Mothering Sunday… Just A Card and Chocolate? And Where Does World War II Fit In??

March 15, 2017  •  Leave a Comment

Blog header mum dayBlog header mum day

Mothers Day, or Mothering Sunday is a day to show love and appreciation to magnificent mums everywhere. Although they represent the same meaning both originated very differently. We all celebrate the day but very few of us actually know its origin.

Mothers Day celebrations date back to the ancient Greeks where they would celebrate Rhea, the Mother of the Gods and Goddesses, every spring with festivals of worship. The Romans also celebrated a mother Goddess, Cybele, every March as far back as 250BC.

Mothering Sunday has been celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent in the UK and Ireland since the 16th century. However the date varies in other parts of the world. Many countries follow America and celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, whilst other countries enjoy the day on March 8th which is International Women's Day.

Like many traditions Mothering Sunday began with a religious purpose. Held on the fourth Sunday in Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday, it was a originally a day to honour and give thanks to the Virgin Mary, also known as Mother Mary.

Such celebrations required people to visit their 'mother' church - the main church or cathedral in a family's area. The spread of Christianity throughout Europe in the 16th century increased these celebrations and firmly put Mothering Sunday on the calendar. The gatherings reunited families and gave children who worked as domestic servants, or apprentices away from home the opportunity to have the day off to join their family and see their mother.

It was celebrated for many centuries but by 1935 its popularity in Europe had started to decline and it was celebrated less and less. Then along came WWII.

During the war the Americans and Canadians, feeling a crucial need to give thanks to their mothers whilst away from home, celebrated Mother's Day. The Brits and other Europeans followed their comrades and they too gave thanks to their mothers. Since then it earns pride of place on the UK calendar.

Mothers Day Gift Giving

As with any national holiday, Mother's Day involves the giving of gifts and cards to show Mum how much she's loved, appreciated and treasured.

Traditionally, Mother's Day gifts included flowers. Wild flowers from the country lanes would’ve been picked by the workers on their way home from work for a day with their mum. It is still a tradition today to spoil mum with a stunning colourful bouquet of flowers, as well as more modern gifts such as chocolate and perfume.

Flowers look and smell lovely for a week and I think we all know that a box of chocolates are never going outlast the flowers. Or is that just my Mum… !!

If you are looking for a longer lasting alternative that can be displayed and treasured forever then maybe I can help.

Mums day SquareMums day Square

But whether you choose flowers, chocolates or a photograph the most important thing is that we tell our Mums we love them         

If you want to know more about purchasing a gift voucher or booking a sitting with this limited time offer then please contact me here 

 

 


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