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| History of Mothers
Day or Mothering Sunday |
| In the UK Mother’s
day is also known as Mothering Sunday and has both a different background
to Mother’s Day in the USA as well as a different date. Historically
there have been a number of ceremonies based around the idea of mothers. These
may
have also contributed to the idea of Mother’s Day. These include the
following. |
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| The ancient Greeks
celebrated the Goddess Rhea wife of Cronus in early spring. There are a number
of different mythologies surrounding the Greek Gods, and Rhea was more powerful
before the classical (patriarchal) mythology as written. In some accounts she
is the mother of the Gods. |
| In Rome, Cybele the
Mother Earth Goddess is considered the Roman equivalent of Rhea. She was celebrated
in the Festival of Megalesia (Magna Mater) of Cybele from the 4th to the 10th
of April although there also seems to be a connection with the Festival of
Hilaria (Festival of Joy) on the 22nd to the 27th of March. This festival though
is thought to be the precursor to April Fools Day. |
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| Mothering
Sunday in UK |
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| In the early 16th Century, the Church
is believed to have diverted the idea of pagan Mother Earth celebrations to
that of the “Mother Church”. Some accounts give the idea of a persons “Mother
Church” as the one that the person was baptised in. Others, relate the “Mother
Church” as the main church in a district rather then the local or “daughter
church”. Which ever, the idea was that every one should return to worship
at their Mother Church on the 4th Sunday of Lent. This meant that young Men
and Women would return home from where they worked and they would bring a 'Mother
Cake' with them for their mothers. |
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| In Northen England
and Scotland Carling, a type of pancake, was often served and has led to
Mothering Sunday being also called Carling Sunday. Other traditional cakes
used at this time of year also included Simnel, a rich fruit cake and a dish
called Furmety. |
| This holiday
declined in the 19th Century but after the 2nd World War, the influence
of US servicemen led to the idea of Mother’s Day becoming popular
again and also encouraged the commercialisation of the day. |
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| Mother’s
Day in the USA |
| In the USA, the
source of Mother’s Day can be traced back to West Virginia in 1858.
Anna Reeves Jarvis, a local teacher and church worker introduced 'Mothers
Work Day' to encourage better sanitation in her town. |
| Later in 1870, Julia
Ward Howard, after seeing the horrors of the American Civil War and Franco-Prussian
war, tried to introduce a Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation to the international
Peace conferences in London and Paris. By 1872 she had modified her aims
and promoted the idea of a Mother’s Day for Peace on 2nd June.
This day was celebrated in Boston for a number of years following
this but the idea faded. The daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis, also called
Anna, was later the prime mover behind the adoption of Mother’s Day.
In 1905, she dedicated her life to this goal. The aim
of the day was to honour mothers both living and dead. In the following years,
much effort managed to establish Mother’s Day first in West Virginia
and later across the USA and Canada. In 1912 West Virgina was the first state
to adopt an official Mother’s Day. This was followed in 1914 by the
adoption of Mother’s Day in the USA. |
Seasonal Dates
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presents
The-Inspirations-Store Gift Shop |
