The second Sunday in May has been the day we traditionally celebrate everything our mothers do for us. But have you ever stopped to think where this tradition comes from?
The celebration of mothers can be traced back to ancient times. The ancient Greeks held large festivals dedicated to their maternal goddesses, the personification of motherhood. These celebrations carried over to the Romans who borrowed much of their spiritual culture from the Greeks. It should be noted that these celebrations venerated the goddesses primarily with only a secondary focus on motherhood.
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The oldest celebrations of mothers specifically can be traced back to the 1600s in England. The fourth Sunday of Lent was named Mothering Sunday and was there to honour mothers. People would return to the closest church to their home, which is referred to as their ‘mother church’, where a service was held in honour of Virgin Mary. After the service, children would give their mothers gifts and flowers.
The modern incarnation of Mother’s Day spread through the world from America. Anna Jarvis is recognised as the ‘mother’ of Mother’s Day in America. Building upon the writings and statements of women that preceded her, including her mother, Anna conceived Mother’s Day as a way to bring honour to the women who sacrifice so much for their children. With backing from a department store in Philadelphia, she organised the first official Mother’s Day celebration in May 1908. With the success of the event, Anna continued to push Mother’s Day as a national holiday. In 1914, her efforts were rewarded when US president Woodrow Wilson signed an official measure marking the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day as we know it spread from America following World War Two. The previous celebration of Mothering Sunday had almost completely died out by the time of the war. It is from the American tradition that we get our traditions of buying cards and gifts for our mothers in South Africa.
So this Mother’s Day give honour not only to your mother but to all the mothers from history.
Why do we celebrate Mother’s Day?
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Sources:
https://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mothers-day-history.htmlhttps://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mothers-day-history.html
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mothers-day
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150507-mothers-day-history-holidays-anna-jarvis/
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