Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 27th March in the UK this year. It is not a fixed day in the United Kingdom but it changes yearly. However we should remember that it always takes place exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday. The date is set by the celebrations of Mothering Sunday in Christian tradition.
Mothering Sunday
Since the Middle Ages, Mothering Sunday is a day honouring mothers and mother churches in the UK. On Mothering Sunday, Christians have historically visited their mother church. That is to say the church in which they were baptised.
Interestingly enough, the celebration of the Day gained popularity in response to the American Mother’s Day. It is worth mentioning that today it has no religious connotations.
It is inevitably an occasion for families to make a custom of giving gifts to their mothers nowadays.
Mother’s Day
Today, most people know the occasion as ‘Mother’s Day’ rather than the traditional ‘Mothering Sunday’.
The celebrations of this wonderful day in the United States began in the early 20th century by the initiative of Anna Jarvis. Anna held a memorial for her mother. She was a peace activist who treated wounded soldiers in the American Civil War.
In 1914, the President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday ‘as a public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country’.
Mother’s Day is not directly related to the many traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood. However, in some countries, Mother’s Day is still synonymous with these older traditions such as the Greek cult to Cybele, or the Roman festival of Hilaria.
Other Traditions and Cultures
Some countries honour mothers on International Women’s Day: 8 March. France gives tributes to their mothers in May, while Argentina marks “Dia de la Madre” on the third Sunday of October.
Yet, it is another wonderful opportunity to say ‘I love You’ to the most irreplaceable person in the world who brings us to this World, nourishes us, teaches and gives us wings to fly.
