Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins. One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March. The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day. In some countries the Mother's Day began not as a celebration for individual mothers but rather for Christians.
Mothering Sunday, also called "Mothers' Day" in the United Kingdom and Ireland falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday). It is believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. Most historians believe that young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families. As a result of secularisation, it is now principally used to celebrate and give thanks for mothers, although it is still recognised in the historical sense by some churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus as well as the traditional concept 'Mother Church'.
In the middle ages in Europe children as young as eight or nine would leave home to learn their trade as an apprentice or to become servants in the homes of the wealthy. These children usually were in neighbouring towns, but transportation was hard to come by and expensive. For most of the year they did not get to see their family. During Lent, before preparations for the Easter feasts required them to be busy and back at work, the young people would be allowed to return to their homes and families for a weekend. This became known as "going a-mothering." Children walked the roads picking spring wildflowers to give to their mothers when they arrived back at their homes. They often brought small gifts from the merchants or nobles they worked for as presents for the family, including the traditional simnel cake.
The Sunday of their return the whole family would go to church and present gifts to the mothers and offerings to the church. This was a day of feasting when all of the restrictions of Lent were put aside for the day...in a way it was the Easter celebration for the working classes. This feast day became known as Mothering Sunday. After Mothering Sunday, the children would return to their labours and would not visit home again until Christmas time.
In the 17th Century when returning to their families on Mothering Sunday people would bring their mothers small gifts like trinkets or a "mothering cake". In northern England and in Scotland, the usual gifts were carlings, which were pancakes made of steeped pease fried in butter, with pepper and salt. In fact, in some locations the day was referred to as Carling Sunday. Another kind of mothering cake was the simnel cake, a very rich fruit cake. Because of lent simnel cake had to keep until Easter. It was boiled in water, then baked, and was often finished with an almond icing. Sometimes the crust was of flour and water, coloured with saffron. Breakfast in bed, brunch at a fancy restaurant, or a picnic in the park are all wonderful ways to spend Mother's Day. But some mums and their families have devised truly inventive ways to commemorate the day!
Seeing as Mother's Day falls within Lent my poor Mum cannot have any chocolate or cake ... I wonder if she is up for a pint later?
A Mothers Love
A mother's love is so special,
she is always there,
She knows when you are sick
She knows when you are not.
A mother's love is so sweet,
she holds your hand for a while
but your hearts she holds a lifetime.
A mother's love is so kind,
she knows when to hold on.
She knows when to let go.
A mother's love is so blessed.
She knows just what to say,
she also knows just what not to say.
But remember ... A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after!
Happy Mother's Day ... So do we celebrate Mothering Sunday and Mother's Day? It is a holiday that is celebrated throughout the world, although not always in May. But who started the celebrations? Did the tribes of prehistoric times gather flowers in the fields to bring to their mums back in the caves? Did the Egyptians send papyrus cards to their mums? The experts don't seem to have answers for all of these questions, but this little blogger has found a few ...
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