MOTHER’S day is celebrated by families across the world every year, but few people know about the origins of the annual festivities.
Mother’s Day is usually linked to Easter and is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, but in America, the celebration takes place on the second Sunday of May.
▪︎When did Mother’s day start?
The phrases Mother’s Day and Mothering Sunday are often used interchangeably but they actually have different origins.
Mothering Sunday started in the 16th century as a religious event where on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Christians would return to their mother church for a special mass.
Mothering Sunday was also a celebration day where servants were traditionally given a day off, and luxurious foods like cake were baked and enjoyed, despite the relative restrictions of Lent.
By the 20th century, Mothering Sunday had declined in popularity.
…Until vicar’s daughter Constance Penswick-Smith, inspired by the emergence of Mother’s Day in America, wrote a book entitled The Revival of Mothering Sunday and founded the Society for the Observance of Mothering Sunday.
▪︎Who invented Mother’s day?
Anna Jarvis is credited with inventing Mother’s Day in America.
in 1908 she began campaigning for the creation of an official Mother’s Day after originally being inspired to celebrate her own mother who was a peace activist during the American civil war.
By 1914 Anna Jarvis had been successful in her mission, and then-President Woodrow Wilson commissioned Mother’s Day as an official day in the American calendar, to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year.
▪︎How do we celebrate Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day is celebrated in a wide range of ways.
Families with young children may encourage little ones to make breakfast in bed for their mum as a token of appreciation, or they may make Mother’s Day cards at school.
In Nigeria, it’s a day of celebrating mothers in various ways – gifts, special get-together, sending pleasantries to mum; or families may opt to take their mum out for dinner, go to the cinema, or simply go for a walk.
Gifts, cards, flowers and chocolates are brcoming popular and are well received by mums on Mother’s Day.
But spending time with your mum on Mother’s Day is often the best gift.