Know All About Mother’s Day
Let us first start by wishing all mothers of the world a glorious Mother’s day!
The world celebrates this beautiful day every year. We all celebrate the woman who brought us to this world. But only few know why this day is so significant. Let us give you a tour of the history of this day.
Mother’s Day is observed on second Sunday of May each year, honouring motherhood in different forms throughout the world. This year, the day falls on 10th May, 2020.
HISTORY:
Celebration of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honour of the mother goddesses ‘Rhea’ and ‘Cybele’ but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as ‘Mothering Sunday’.
Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their ‘mother church’ - the main church in the vicinity of their home for a special service.
Over the period, the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.
CELEBRATIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE:
While different versions of Mother’s Day are celebrated worldwide, traditions vary depending on the country. For example in Thailand, Mother’s Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen, Sirikit.
Another observance of Mother’s Day can be found in Ethiopia, where families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of ‘Antrosht’, a multi-day celebration honouring motherhood.
In the United States, Mother’s Day continues to be celebrated by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers, and it has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending. Families also celebrate by giving mothers a day off from activities like cooking or other household chores.
At times, Mother’s Day has also been a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968 Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr. used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children. In the 1970s, women groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.
MOTHER’S DAY IN INDIA:
The modern Mother's Day has been assimilated into Indian culture. Indians do not celebrate the occasion as a religious event; its celebration is mostly restricted to urban areas where the occasion has been largely commercialized. However, as far as the celebration goes, it is quite private. Every family celebrates in their own way. Surprise presents and gifts are prepared and are given by the children to their mothers.
Many argued and will continue to argue that one day of praising mothers is not enough. We all have come across these people who are always reluctant to celebrate ‘one day of anything’. Then let me tell you something: Nobody is stopping you to shower love unconditionally on your mother every single day. But, this is a day to acknowledge them and celebrate them.
There is one relationship in this mortal life, which effortlessly precedes any other relationships in one’s life. Mothers are truly priceless in terms of their countless love, dedication, and devotion towards her family. To acknowledge the presence of all mothers around the globe, we wish them a Happy Mother’s Day!
