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Mothering Sunday
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When
did it start and why is it traditional to bake cakes and give flowers?
Although we have
been celebrating our Mothers since ancient times, it is thought that the first
official celebrations originated in ancient Greece and Rome in festivals to
celebrate Rhea and Cybele, the mothers of their respective gods. Mother's Day
is now celebrated in many countries but what are the origins of Mothering
Sunday in Britain?
Mother’s
Day or Mothering Sunday is always celebrated on the fourth Sunday of
Lent and this is why the date changes from one year to the next.
During the 1600’s
England celebrated a day traditionally called Mothering Sunday. As Christianity
spread, by the 1700’s the celebration had changed. It was now a day for
honouring the ‘Mother Church’ the spiritual power that gave them life
and protected them from harm. Most Sundays during the church year, churchgoers
would worship at their nearest parish or ‘daughter’ church but it was
considered important for people to return to their home church, the church in
which they were christened, once a year. This visit was made on the fourth
Sunday of Lent, when traditionally Christians countrywide would visit their
family church to pay their respects to the ‘Mother Church’ of their
religion. Over time this festival blended with the original Mother’s Day
and people began to honour their mothers as well as the church. |
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Because this yearly
visit meant going home, inevitably it gave the whole family an opportunity to
get together and have an informal family reunion. People would say they were
gone ‘a mothering’. At this time many people worked in service as
domestic servants and it was not unheard of for children as young as ten, to
leave home. As many of the large estates were miles from their homes, many
children would only see their families once or twice a year at Easter and
Christmas. Most historians think that it was the return to the ‘Mother
Church’ that led to the tradition of children, particularly those working
in service or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and
family on this day.
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As part
of the holiday many girls would have been given permission to pick flowers from
their master’s land to take to church or give to their mothers and from
this, the tradition of giving flowers on
Mother’s
Day has evolved. Because Mothering Sunday is always in spring, these
simple bouquets are likely to have contained daffodils, primroses and violets.
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If the girl worked in
the kitchen she may also have had the opportunity to bake a special cake called
a Simnel cake. This rich fruit cake with two layers of marzipan, one in the
centre and one on top, was decorated with crystallised violets and 11 balls of
marzipan to represent the 11 apostles (Judas in not included). Mothering Sunday
was also known as Refreshment Sunday and because the fasting rules of Lent were
relaxed on this day, this could explain why baking this particular type of cake
became popular.
Although
Mother’s
Day is celebrated on different days and for different reasons in many
countries around the world, the essence of the day is still the same. It is a
chance for us to remind ourselves just how wonderful our mothers are and to
thank them for their unconditional love and the work they do. For this reason
it has become closely associated with the giving of
mother’s
day gifts such as bouquets of spring flowers, chocolates or general
pampering type gifts and also the sending of greetings cards.
Whether you live close
by, miles away or even in a different country, distance doesn’t matter
when it’s possible to surprise your mum with a beautiful planter of
spring
flowers, a bouquet, a box of delicious chocolates or a bottle of bubbly
and a bouquet of balloons. So show her you love her and treat her this
Mother’s
Day.
This year
Mother’s
Day falls on Sunday 18th March - give your mum a great surprise and
order
today! |
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