Don’t forget it is Mother’s Day on Sunday 14th March!
You never need excuse to be nice to your Mum, but Mother’s Day is certainly a good time to treat her to something extra special, to let her know much you love and appreciate her.
Although some people think that Mother’s Day is a modern creation, folklore shows that a celebration known as ‘Mothering Sunday’ took place in England as far back as the mid 17th Century. It was always celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was traditionally a time when young people and children living away from their parents, would take time to return home and visit family for the day.
As many young people then worked in service or agriculture and had ‘live in’ positions, an opportunity to return home for the day made it an important celebration and they would usually take a gift for their mother, which in those days was often a cake.The day of rest then gave them a welcome chance to have a meal with their family, before returning back to work.
In its earliest days, Mothering Sunday seems to have been a regional custom,practised in the western counties, but it then spread to become traditional in many more places.
Many years later in the 20th Century, a new tradition began whereby clergymen started to distribute flowers and cake to children to give to their mothers on Mothering Sunday. With the heritage of Mothering Sunday firmly ensconced in the UK, the modern day celebration was further influenced when the USA introduced ‘Mother’s Day’ after the Second World War.
If you don’t feel up to baking a cake for your Mum this year, why not send some flowers instead? Carnations are traditionally associated with Mothering Sunday, but there are so many lovely blooms to choose from, you could just opt for her favourites to show how much you care.
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