Mother's Day
Mother's Day Recipes & Guide      

The Fourth Sunday during Lent is called Laetare Sunday. In England this Sunday is known as Mothering Sunday. Originally this Sunday was a day the Pope would carry a rose in his hand while celebrating mass.  It was a day young and unmarried servants were allowed to return to their homes before Easter to attend services at the Church where they grew up. Gifts would be placed by the altar. With the Industrial Revolution, the custom died except for one Sunday a year. Over the years, however, the meaning has extended and now people bring gifts to their mothers and are expected to take over the Mother's chores for the day.

In Ancient Greece it is believed that Mother's Day was the ancient spring festival dedicated to mother goddesses. In the ancient Greek empire it honored Rhea, mother of the gods and goddesses. In Rome there was a festival dedicated to the worship of Cybele, another mother goddess. Ceremonies in her honor began some 250 years before Christ was born. This Roman religious celebration, known as Hilaria, lasted for three days .

Mother's Day was first suggested in the USA in 1872 by the author of the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe .Ms. Howe intended the day as one dedicated to peace and she personally organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston every year.

In 1907 a Philadelphian named Ana Jarvis spearheaded a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. She persuaded her mother's church in  Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia. Jarvis and her supporters wrote to ministers, businessman, and politicians for support in establishing a national Mother's Day. By 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday.

There are many areas that honor Mothers including the United States, Mexico, China, South America, Africa, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium. They do not all celebrate on the same day but the theory is the same. Young children make gifts in school to bring home & older children will send flowers or purchase jewelry.

Traditionally, mothers are served breakfast in bed on Mother's Day, the second Sunday of May.