Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent in the UK, though it falls on different days across the world. Although it's often called "Mother's Day" it has no connection with the American festival of that name. Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family. Today, children from all over the world use the occasion to show some love to their mothers with lovely Mother's Day presents.
History of Mothering Sunday
People associate Mother's Day with sending Mother's Day flowers and taking their Mother or guardian out for lunch. This hasn't changed much from the start of Mother's Day, which is always on a sunday. Most Sundays in the year churchgoers worship at their nearest parish or daughter church. Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or mother; church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their mother, church, or the main church or Cathedral of the area.
Inevitably the return to the "Mother" church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home for work once they were ten years old.) And most historians think that it was the return to the "Mother" church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family. As they walked along the country lanes, children would pick wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift. These days, Mother's Day is still celebrated with the family and often involves a visit. People still give Mother's Day flowers and other gifts like Mother's Day cards.
International Mother's Day
The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter).
Mothering Sunday honored the mothers of England. During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the Mother Church - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.
In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.
In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. The table below shows the dates for Mother's Day in the UK and the US. If you would like to send Mother's Day flowers worldwide, please check out International Flower delivery page.
||Mothering Sunday in the UK
||Mother's Day in the US
While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
Also read our post to learn the answer to the question "when is Mother's Day?".
Mother's Day Baskets
Mother’s day baskets are a wonderful – long lasting – gift to your Mother on Mother’s day. Mother’s have spent years developing a nurturing nature, so why not turn their skills to looking after some beautiful potted flowers.
Baskets are quite a traditional gift for Mother’s on Mother’s day, simply because rather that cut Mother's day flowers, which create a great impression, but don’t necessarily last for months, baskets contain soil and growing flowers which mean that with the right care and attention, they can last for a long time.
Our Mother’s day baskets contain simple roses, hyacinth, daffodils and kalanchoe. All these plants, with the right care and conditions can last a long time, and give many months (or years?) of pleasure.
The baskets themselves are long-lasting, wicker baskets which can be used decoratively, or around the home for decorative storage.