Mother's Day, Traditions and Ideas!
Mother's Day is a celebration honouring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May. It complements Father's Day, the celebration honouring fathers.
Australia
In Australia, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.
The tradition of giving gifts to mothers on Mother's Day in Australia was started by Mrs Janet Heyden, in Sydney,1924. During a visit to a patient at the Newington State Home for Women, she met many lonely and forgotten mothers - to cheer them up, she called on local school children and businesses to donate and bring gifts to the women.
The day has since become commercialised with the giving of chocolates, flowers and even personalised stubby holders ... like this design;
Traditionally, the Chrysanthemum is given to mothers for mother's day as the flower is naturally in season during Autumn and ends in 'mum', a common affectionate shortening of 'mother' in Australia. Why not send your mum a chrysanthemum on her stubby holder this year!
Or perhaps you are running in the "Mother's Day Classic" this year and would like to print a picture of your mum or your team name and entry numbers onto your water bottle coolers?! A great idea for fundraising and getting some extra support on the day :-)
United States
The United States also celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.
Julia Ward Howe first issued her Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870 as a call for women to join in support of disarmament. The current holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in West Virginia, in 1908 as a day to honour one's mother.
She kept promoting the holiday until it eventually became so highly commercialised that it was considered a "Hallmark holiday," i.e. one with an overwhelming commercial purpose. Jarvis eventually ended up opposing the holiday she had helped to create.
In the United States, Mother's Day remains one of the biggest days for sales of flowers, greeting cards, koozies and the like; it is also the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls!
United Kingdom and Ireland
In the UK and Ireland, the celebration is called Mothering Sunday, which falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Most historians believe that it originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually on that Sunday, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day.
By 1935 Mothering Sunday was less celebrated in Europe, until US World War II soldiers brought the Mother's Day celebrations to the UK, and it was merged with the Mothering Sunday traditions. By the 1950s it had become popular in the whole of the UK, thanks to the efforts of traders, who saw in it as a great commercial opportunity.
People from Ireland and UK started celebrating Mother's Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the same day on which Mothering Sunday had been celebrated for centuries. The traditions of the two celebrations have now been mixed up, and many people think that they are the same thing.
For many people in the United Kingdom, Mother's Day is the time of year to celebrate and buy gifts of chocolate or flowers for their mothers as a way to thank them for what they do throughout the year.
Happy Mother's Day!
- Gemma
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