Mothers Day
When I was first asked to give a talk on mothers, since it would be mother’s day. I started wondering how Mother’s Day came to be. I was surprised to discover that Mother’s Day has a history longer than Christianity! Ancients celebrated Isis (Mother of the Pharaohs), Rhea (Greek Mother of the Gods), and Cybele (The Great Mother). The worship of these ancient goddesses is similar to the reverence we show to Mary, Jesus’ mother as these Mother Goddesses are often depicted with a baby in arms.
A later tradition that emerged in Europe was a celebration of the Mother Church. People would travel to their home town and decorate the church with flowers and jewels. In our church, we do something similar when we clean the chapel, which gives us a chance to show our gratitude and appreciation.
In the 1600s in the UK, this evolved to include a day off for those in service (e.g. maids and butlers) to go home on this day and also enjoy a family feast in the middle of Lent in which they honored their own mother with a cake. This holiday was known as Mothering Day. When the Puritans colonized America, they dropped this tradition.
However, after the American Civil War, Mother’s Day was instituted in the US as a day of peace and protesting war because of the sacrifices mothers had to bear whose sons had died in the war. In 1908, mothers began to be recognized with carnations: white for deceased mothers, pink or red for the rest. After WWI, France, who had adopted Mother’s Day from the US, added a twist by encouraging repopulation. Mothers were given an award based on how many children they had, a gold medal and straightjacket to those with 8 or more children.
Over 70 countries celebrate Mother’s Day now. In South Korea it’s Parents Day. In Armenia it’s Mother’s Day and Beauty Day. Arab countries celebrate it at the beginning of spring. In Yugoslavia and Serbia Mothers Day is part of a 3 day celebration before Christmas. The first
A later tradition that emerged in Europe was a celebration of the Mother Church. People would travel to their home town and decorate the church with flowers and jewels. In our church, we do something similar when we clean the chapel, which gives us a chance to show our gratitude and appreciation.
In the 1600s in the UK, this evolved to include a day off for those in service (e.g. maids and butlers) to go home on this day and also enjoy a family feast in the middle of Lent in which they honored their own mother with a cake. This holiday was known as Mothering Day. When the Puritans colonized America, they dropped this tradition.
However, after the American Civil War, Mother’s Day was instituted in the US as a day of peace and protesting war because of the sacrifices mothers had to bear whose sons had died in the war. In 1908, mothers began to be recognized with carnations: white for deceased mothers, pink or red for the rest. After WWI, France, who had adopted Mother’s Day from the US, added a twist by encouraging repopulation. Mothers were given an award based on how many children they had, a gold medal and straightjacket to those with 8 or more children.
Over 70 countries celebrate Mother’s Day now. In South Korea it’s Parents Day. In Armenia it’s Mother’s Day and Beauty Day. Arab countries celebrate it at the beginning of spring. In Yugoslavia and Serbia Mothers Day is part of a 3 day celebration before Christmas. The first