Mother’s Day – Honoring our moms!
Mother’s Day: an ancestral celebration:
Did you know that a long time ago the ‘Mother Goddess’ was celebrated instead of mothers? The annual ‘Mother Goddess’ festivals originated in Egypt and were also popular in ancient Greece, where they got so wild with fun that they were eventually banned.
A later incarnation in England fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent and early Christians used the day to honor the church where they were baptized (their mother church). Then something changed in 1600. A clerical decree in England expanded the celebration to include royal mothers; earning the name ‘Mother’s Day’. It was a compassionate day for the working classes who were allowed to travel back to their place of origin to visit their mothers. It was also a respite from the day’s slowness and all the fasting. Families from all over England were able to enjoy a family meal with the “mother”, the guest of honor, with cakes and flowers presented to her.
In 1907, Miss Anna Jarvis in the US started a campaign that made Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1911. Anna’s mother died when she was 41 years old. She felt that children should appreciate and celebrate their mother more while they are still alive. She hoped that this day would increase respect and love for the mother and strengthen family ties. He fought its commercialization. In 1912 the International Mother’s Day Association was incorporated to further promote meaningful observations. Mother’s Day celebrations are now a tradition around the world. Australia along with the United States, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey and Belgium celebrate the same day. Remember that the ‘mother’ figure today can be a man, a family member, friend or other caregiver who has assumed the role of ‘mother’. Please remember to honor them on this day as well.
Floral traditions:
White carnations were Miss Anna Jarvis’s mother’s favorite flower. This flower was chosen to represent the sweetness, purity and endurance of the mother’s love. The white carnation is now a tradition that is worn or placed in the home in honor of the mother who has passed away. Since then, a red carnation has become the symbol of a living mother and is worn on a lapel or piled up again and placed around the house to honor the mother.
How to make your mom feel special without spending money:
Here are some suggestions to help your mom feel really good on her special day, remembering that the holidays are more meaningful if we move away from gift shopping.
– Plan to do a secret act of kindness every day for the 7 days leading up to Mother’s Day. This may include secretly doing one of Mom’s chores every day. Imagine how good Mom will feel on Sunday!
– Leave a thank you note in a different place each day for the 7 days leading up to Mother’s Day, for example, inside your slippers, on the bathroom mirror, on the steering wheel, on the bedside table lamp, under the pillow, etc.
– On Mother’s Day, don’t talk about yourself, instead focus on your mother. Focus on her by asking her questions about her childhood, her favorite memories, her favorite subjects in school, her favorite hobby, her favorite food when she was young, her first job, her most memorable vacation, her most embarrassing moment, how she met her father. , what life was like when you were born, your funniest and most beloved memories with your children, etc. By focusing on your mom and her memories, you are expressing your love for her.
Teach an old cake tradition:
The Simnel cake was originally a ‘Mother’s Sunday’ tradition. If you are a parent of children and you are still at home, make a special moment with them to make this ‘Mother’s Day’ cake as a surprise for mom on Mother’s Day. You can have fun and get creative by decorating it differently each year. Just Google ‘Simple Simnel Cake’ to find an easy recipe.
Happy Mother’s Day to all xx moms