Mother’s Day, Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day...around the world (Part 2)

Part 2

Mother’s Day, Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day...you name it

Mother’s Day in USA

Mother’s Day - History

The history of Mother's Day goes back many centuries – as far as the Egyptians. Early Christians celebrated the Mother's festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent to honour Mary, the mother of Christ. Later on, a religious order included the celebration of all mothers and named it as the Mothering Sunday. English colonists settled in America discontinued the tradition of Mothering Sunday because of lack of time, however in 1872 Julia Ward Howe organized a day for mothers dedicated to peace. This was a landmark in the history of Mother's Day.
The English colonists that settled in America discontinued the tradition of Mothering Sunday because of lack of time. In 1872 Julia Ward Howe organized a day for mothers dedicated to peace.

Julia Howe had become very distraught by the deaths during the Civil War that she called on all mothers to come together to protest against what she perceived as senseless killing. With this in mind she organised an international Mother's Day celebrating peace and motherhood. This has become the landmark in the history of modern Mother's Day.

Julia Howe even proposed to convert the 4th of July into Mother’s Day and dedicate the day to peace. However the 2nd June was designated for this celebration and in 1873, 18 women’s groups celebrated this new Mother’s holiday in cities across North America.

Even not successful Julie Howe has planted the seed and in 1907 Anne Jarvis from Philadelphia set up a group to celebrate Mother’s Day and to honour of her mother. The first Mother's Day was a church service honouring Anna's mother to which Anna handed out white carnations, her mother's favourite flowers. Anne Jarvis' hard work paid off when in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honour of mothers. The celebration became more and more popular and it became more commercialised.

Anne Jarvis was not happy about this and in 1923 sued to stop a Mother’s Day event and sale of flowers. During the 1930's she was arrested for disturbing the peace at the American War Mothers group.

Watch the video to see what became of Anne Jarvis

Anna Jarvis died in 1948, blind, poor and with no children. She never knew that the care she received during her last years of her life had been paid anonymously by The Florist's Exchange.

By the time of her death, over 40 countries observed the Mother’s Day. Today white carnations are given to remember deceased Mothers, and pink or red to pay tribute to Mothers who are alive.

To this day every year the American President is required to proclaim Mother’s Day holiday shortly before it is due and while he proclaims the event a group of mothers, who has lost a child in the a war, set up a protest against war. Mother’s day in America is celebrated the 2nd Sunday in May.

Mothers Day in some parts of the World

The majority of countries celebrating Mother's Day do so on the second Sunday of May.

Some of the countries celebrate Mother’s Day:

Canada - Canada was one of the first nations to pick up the US version of Mother’s Day.

Argentina - Though most of South America observes Mother's Day in May, Argentina celebrates it the 2nd Sunday in October. This is due to the country’s being located in the southern hemisphere. This corresponds to Argentina’s springtime.

India - A westernized version of Mother's Day is officially observed on 10th May mainly in large cities. However, Hindus have been celebrating Durga Puja – a divine mother derived from ancient Greece – with a 10 day festival in October. This festival is now one of the biggest events in India and families spend weeks preparing food and gifts.

Japan - Japanese Christians were celebrating Mother’s Day based on the American practice. During and after WWII the practice was banned along with all other western customs. After the war, however, the tradition was taken up again to help comfort to the Mothers who had lost children in the war and by 1949, the celebration of Mother's Day had again spread throughout the country associated with an art contest for children. The event was held every 4 years and the children would enter a drawing of their mothers, and the winning drawings would tour through Japan with an art exhibition celebrating Mothers and Peace. Today the Japanese celebrate Mother's Day on 2nd Sunday of May.

Asia & Australia as well as many Asian countries celebrate Mother’s Day drawing on from the American’s tradition.

Bahrain - In Bahrain Mother's Day coincides with the first day of spring, observed as March 21, the same is in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

China - China’s Mother’s Day draws heavily from the United States’ tradition and carnations are a very popular gift and the most sold type of flower. In 1997 it this day was set to help poor mothers, especially in rural areas such as China's western region. The official government's Chinese newspaper, explained in an article that even though the tradition originates from the States, Chinese people can accept the holiday because it is in line with the country's traditional ethics of respect for the elderly and parents.
In recent years there has been other non-governmental suggestion to celebrate Mother’s Day in memory of Meng Mu which is supported by 100 Confucian scholars. This group also asked to replace the carnations with lilies, which in ancient times, were planted by Chinese mothers when children left home. This festival remains unofficial and it is only celebrated in a small number of cities

Hong Kong - Hong Kong’s holiday is noted for its custom to pay respect to the parents of the mother, if she is deceased.

Italy - The Italians celebrate the day with a big feast and a cake. Typically Italian schoolchildren will make something to bring home to their mothers and the family will take care of the chores for the day. Mother's Day in Italy was celebrated for the first time on 12th May 1957, in Assisi thanks to the initiative of a parish priest. The celebration was so successful that the following year it was adopted throughout Italy, where since then it is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May.

Sweden - Sweden’s Mother’s Day, which takes place on the last Sunday in May, has a strong charitable focus: the Swedish Red Cross which sells small plastic flowers leading up to the holiday, with the proceeds raised being given to poor mothers and their children.

Thailand - Perhaps the most unique Asian Mother's Day holiday takes place in Thailand. The celebration coincides with the birthday of their beloved queen, Sirikit Kitayakara, who has reigned since 1950. Her birthday, and therefore Mother's Day, takes place on 12th August.

Germany - In the 1920s, Germany had the lowest birth-rate in Europe. At the same time, influential groups in society thought that mothers should be honoured. These groups had one belief in common: the celebration of the values of motherhood. In 1923 this resulted in the unanimous adoption of Mother's Day which they imported from America and Norway and in 1925, the Mother's Day Committee started focusing the holiday as being about the level of population Germany. The holiday was seen as a means to get women to bear more children, and nationalists saw it as a way of rejuvenating the nation. The holiday did not celebrate individual women, but an idealized standard of motherhood. Some local authorities decided to make the holiday a day to support economically larger families or single-mother families and subsidies were given to families in economic needs.

During 1933–1945 with the Nazi party in power all changed radically. They started promoting the role of mothers as that of giving healthy children to the German nation. The Nazi party's intention was to create a pure ‘Aryan race’. Also the government promoted the death of a mother's sons in battle as the highest embodiment of patriotic motherhood.

This new official Nazis spin brought discontent among organizations such as the Catholic and Protestant churches and local women organizations. Local authorities resisted the guidelines from the government and kept assigning resource to families that were in economical need.

In 1938 the Nazi’s government started issuing an award ‘Mother’s cross’, with different categories depending on the number of children. The cross intended to encourage having more children, and recipients had to have at least 4 children. The award promoted loyalty among German women and it was a popular even though it had little material value. The winners of the award had to be examined by doctors and social workers according to genetic and racial values that were considered beneficial. Friends and family were also examined for possible flaws that could disqualify them, and they had to be "racially and morally fit". Among the criteria they had to be ‘German-blooded’ and they could not have vices like drinking. Criteria against were, for example, ‘unfeminine’ behaviour like smoking or poor housekeeping. Even contact with a Jew could disqualify a potential recipient. Application of policies was uneven as doctors promoted medical criteria over racial criteria, and local authorities promoted economical need over any other criteria.

Nowadays Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of May like most European counties.

Mother’s Day Trivia

• In the vast majority of the world's languages, the word for "mother" begins with the letter ‘M’;
• A mother giraffe often gives birth while standing, so the new born first experience outside the womb is a 1.8-meter drop;
• Just like people, mother chimpanzees often develop lifelong relationships with their offspring.

Woburn Crafts Fair

It is all due to Ros, who is tirelessly organising the CCC - Crafts, Cake, a Cuppa fair once a month, as well as being a cat lover and a dab hand at painting them too!!
Yesterday (Sunday 17th February) saw the 1st event of 2013. And what a glorious day it was!
The sun was shining and temperatures reached 8 degrees C outside, inside the Woburn Village Hall temperatures were sizzling!

By 10.00am all stall holders had their displays ready and it was clear the room was filled with great talents.

Beautiful cards and paintings with attractive Watercolour-Flowers-Paintings were directly opposite me and delightful to look at; at my side great pin-boards in a range of backgrounds to suit every taste and mug warmers, an ideal present for Mother's Day by Just Quirky.

  

I managed a quick look around before the public started flowing in the hall and I was impressed.



My eye was caught by beautiful glass cake stands and the wood turning objects on the stall next to me.

  

Directly opposite the entrance the public was welcomed by a table full of butterflies.  What a show, colourful, local and exotic, smaller and larger ones and all made of ... paper. What a talent!

Of course you could top up your food reserves too.  Outside the Hall in the main part of the village, the Farmers Market, which runs the same 3rd Sunday of the month as the craft fair. Inside the hall lots of homemade preserves and local honey as well as olives; a table full of tasty cup-cakes, and let's not forget the coffee/tea shop, run by Ros' husband that offered warm drinks as well as a selection of sweet and savouries. You would not go hungry even if you tried!

 

If you like handbags you would have felt at home with 3 stalls displaying an array of handmade bags to suit all.  From denim to designer bags you were spoiled for choice and all at very reasonable prices.

With Spring approaching and Mother's day and Easter only a few weeks away you could find a present for your mum or a wee blanket for that new baby's arrival.

All in all Woburn and the CCC - Crafts, Cake, Cuppa Fair is a destination to keep in mind on the 3rd Sunday of the month as a place to keep amused and entertained all the family; and for those wanting a walk on the 'wild' side what better place than taking a walk on the Woburn Estate among deer or visit the Safari Park. 

 

Mother’s Day, Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day...you name it (Part 1)

Mother’s Day, Mothering Sunday, Mothers Day there is enough to confuse the best of us. And why is it celebrated on different days of the year and not on the same day everywhere in the world? As Mother’s Day is fast approaching again this year – 10th March – let’s discover its history, traditions and do on around the globe. Let’s start form our doorstep: UK.

Mothering Sunday vs. Mother's Day

Nowadays Mothering Sunday is often called Mother's Day in UK and it is regarded as synonymous with Mother's Day, as celebrated in other countries around the world, although many still prefer the more historically accurate ‘Mothering Sunday’.

Mother’s Day - History

The history of Mother's Day goes back many centuries – as far as the Egyptians. Early Christians celebrated the Mother's festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent to honour Mary, the mother of Christ. Later on, a religious order included the celebration of all mothers and named it as the Mothering Sunday.

Spiritual Origins of Mothers Day

The practice of honouring Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites had strong symbolic and spiritual tones and tended to celebrate Goddesses as the symbol of Mothers. The maternal objects of adoration ranged from mythological female deities to the Christian Church itself. Only in the past few centuries did celebrations of Motherhood develop a decidedly human focus. This human aspect to Mother’s Day is relatively new.

One of the earliest historical records of celebrating a ‘Mother’ deity can be found among the ancient Egyptians, who held an annual festival to honour the goddess Isis, who was commonly regarded as the Mother of the pharaohs. The festival of Isis was also celebrated by the Romans who used the event to commemorate an important battle and mark the beginning of the Winter. Despite being an imported deity, Isis held a place at the Roman temple. However the root in the Roman’s Mother’s Day is perhaps found more precisely in the celebration of the goddess Cybele, or Magna Mater (the Great Mother). Cybele derives from the Greek Goddess Rhea, who was the Mother of most of the major deities, including Zeus. Rhea was celebrated as a mother goddess, and her festival took place around the time of the Vernal Equinox (Spring equinox). In Rome and Asia Minor (Roman Empire), Cybele was the major Mother deity similarly to Rhea, the mother of the Gods in Greek culture. The Roman celebration of Cybele or Magna Mater fell around the 15 and 22 of March, at a similar time the Greek would have celebrated Rhea.

Modern times celebrations

Another holiday / festival to celebrate and honour Motherhood came from Europe. It fell on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 days of fasting preceding Easter Sunday). Early Christians initially used this day to honour the church in which they were baptized, and that they saw as their ‘Mother Church’.

In the 1600's a decree in England broadened the celebration to include all real Mothers and referred to the day as Mothering Day. During this day - Lenten Sunday - servants and trade workers were allowed to travel back to their towns of origin to visit their families. Mothering Day also provided a one-day reprieve from the fasting and penance of Lent so that families across England could enjoy a family feast and represented a day where mothers were the main guest of honour. Mothers would be presented with cakes and flowers and overall mothers would get to see their distant children.

Mothering Day or Mothering Sunday in United Kingdom and Ireland

Early Christians in England celebrated the Mother's festival on the 4th Sunday of Lent to honour Mary, the mother of Christ. In the 16th century people working out of their homes were expected to return to the "mother" church (the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from any harm).

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, this celebration is known as Mothering Sunday. The practice of visiting one's ‘mother’ church every year on the Lenten Sunday, meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children as young apprentices and young women in service were released by their masters to make the journey home that weekend to go visit their families.

In some Church of England churches, this day is the only day during Lent when marriages can be celebrated.

In the early 1900s (1935), the practice of celebrating Mothering Sunday fell into disuse. However, after the 2nd World War the tradition started to be revived, partly inspired by efforts made to revive the festival in the 1910s–1920s; it wasn't until after World War II when American soldiers brought Mother's Day celebrations to the UK and they were incorporated with the tradition of Mothering Sunday which was still being celebrated by the Church of England. In the 1950s the celebrations started gathering memento as were seen as a great commercial opportunity.

Irish and British people started to celebrate Mother's Day on the 4th Sunday of Lent, the same day on which Mothering Sunday had been celebrated for centuries before. Some of the old Mothering Sunday’s traditions were revived, such as the tradition of eating cake on that day, although nowadays Simnel cake is eaten instead of traditional cakes eaten in the olden days. The two celebrations have now mixed up and many people think that they are the same thing.

Recently the day was dubbed ‘Mother's Day’ or ‘Mothers' Day’ however sometimes ‘Mothers Day’ is also used.

Mothering Sunday, also known as...

Other names attributed to the festival of Mothering Day were: Refreshment Sunday, Mid-Lent Sunday, Simnel Sunday and Rose Sunday. Simnel Sunday as baking Simnel Cakes to celebrate the reunion of families during Lent. Rose Sunday is sometimes used as an alternative title for Laetare Sunday, as witnessed by the purple robes of Lent being replaced by rose-coloured ones in some churches.

Simnel Cake – Facts

Nowadays the Simnel cake is strongly associated with this holiday. It was also that Simnel Cakes became associated with Mothering Sunday as young servants/maids were allowed to bake a cake to take home to their mother as a gift. Fruit cakes known as "Simnel Cakes" became one of the most common gifts on Mothering Sundays;

• Around 1600, when the celebration was only held in England and Scotland, a different kind of pastry was preferred;
• In England they served a cake called "Mothering Sunday Buns" with raisin and butter icing;
• In Northern England and Scotland some preferred "Carlings", a pancake made of steeped peas fried in butter.

As with most Mothering Sunday customs and traditions, the Simnel Cake has also a religious flavour: on top of the cake are placed 11 marzipan balls, signifying 11 of the 12 apostles of Christ, excluding the notorious apostle Judas, who had betrayed Jesus.