Every year on the second Sunday of May, a special effort is made to say thank you to the women who bear and nurture life. Through heart-felt gifts, beautiful flowers or breakfast in bed, mothers will be enjoying the recognition and respect for playing an incredibly role in raising and supporting their children.
While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, Australia shares this celebratory time with the majority of countries, such as Canada, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Belgium and the US.
While different cultures celebrate with unique traditions and beliefs, they come together as families and communities to honour a mother's unconditional love.
The History of Mother's Day
The celebration of Mother's Day as a tradition has evolved from ancient cultures and can be traced back to the early Greek civilisation, when during spring celebrations people would honour Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.
For pagan religions, worship of mothers went beyond the maternal kind. The celebration and respect of Mother Earth is clearly seen in ancient Roman, Mayan, Celtic and most prehistoric civilisations. From a Christian perspective, the worship of Mother Mary as the mother of God also plays a contributing role to the Mother's Day we come to know today.
We can also attribute a lot of this special day's history to the British. In the 1600s they celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On the fourth Sunday of Lent they spent the day honouring the mothers of England. The live-in servants of wealthy employers were given the day off to return home to their families and spend the day with their mothers. To add a festive touch, a special cake called the Mothering Cake, also called a Simnel cake, was made.
Simnel cake is made with white flour, fragrant spices and dried fruit. It is covered with almond paste just like a Christmas cake. Sometimes it is decorated with small round almond paste balls to represent the twelve apostles from Christian religion.
In more modern times in the US, mothers not only represented birth, nature and the church, they were also recognised as a strong symbol of peace. American author Julie Ward Howe tried her best to gain formal acknowledgment for a mother's day for peace. It wasn't successful, but she managed to inspire another American woman, now know as the "mother of Mother's Day", Anna Jarvis. In 1914 Mother's Day was declared a national holiday.
This Coming Mother's Day
With such a rich heritage, Sunday May 13 is an opportunity to say thank you to the woman who brought you into the world. These days, Mother's Day can be somewhat commercialised, but it doesn't have to be so. Breakfast in bed has become a favourite way to show how much you love your mum or ensuring she has a relaxing day or a home-cooked meal by someone other than herself. Why not go back to the roots of Mother's Day and make a Simnel cake or any cake for that matter. As long as it comes from the heart, your mother is bound to appreciate the effort. Rather than saving all that thanks for just one day, go one step further and make everyday Mother's Day!
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