Mothering Sunday, which is a holiday celebrated in the UK, is very similar to Mother’s Day in the United States. Both holidays exist as a chance for families and children to recognize their mothers and all that these women have done for them. Mother’s Day gifts are given out on both days and in both cases there has been a lot of commercialization attached to this event. The UK version, however, has a richer history and in some parts of the UK it is still celebrated as such.
Mothering Sunday is not always the easiest holiday to keep track of. Rather than being on the same date every year, it changes each time. This holiday is tied to the month of Lent and so you will need to know when Lent begins in order to figure out when Mother’s Day will be. The fourth Sunday of the month of Lent is when this holiday is celebrated, and the Mother’s Day date falls halfway between Good Friday and Shrove Tuesday.
The history of Mothering Sunday can be traced back hundreds of years. The day and the customs originally started for some as a way to recognize the Virgin Mary, and so this holiday was closely tied to the Church. The history of Mothers Day also shows that in the 1600′s children were sent off at a young age to begin work and apprenticeship, and that once a year they would return to their hometown to visit their families and the church they attended when young – their Mother Church. As a result, this day became associated with time to spend with families.
Nowadays, Mothering Sunday has kept a few of these traditions alive, but dropped many of the old ones. It is a day when children reconnect with their families if they live far away, and often a trip to church is involved. Some people still make traditional Simnel cakes in honor of the occasion, and they use this day as the chance to refresh themselves after fasting during Lent. Others believe a happy Mother’s Day begins and ends with flowers and a trip out to a restaurant.
So the years have changed how Mothering Sunday is viewed, and it definitely has become more commercialized. Some only refer to this day as Mother’s Day, and will give flowers or chocolates, or even just Mother’s Day cards as a way to show they care. In many parts of the UK, however, especially in those areas where people have a strong religious background, you will see individuals respect the history and past of this day and try to honor the holiday as it was in days of yore.
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