MOTHER’S DAY
The origins of Mother’s Day and commemorating motherhood is a concept that dates back to the Ancient Greeks. In their spring festival, they celebrated the goddess Rhea, considered the Mother of the Gods. Rhea was closely associated with another mother goddess, Cybele, whom the Romans honored.
Originally it wasn’t a celebration of motherhood, but a time during Lent when people returned to their mother church – the main church – for a special service. This is why Mother’s Day falls annually on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
The tradition of gifting came from families reuniting at this Mothering Sunday service too. Children would pick flowers on route to church and gift bouquets to their mothers. Hence why an online flower delivery is still considered the go-to gift for Mother’s Day today.
In Medieval times, apprentices and servants would be given Mothering Sunday off to return home to their mothers too. They would take a special Mother’s Day cake known as a Simnel cake. This was a rich fruit mixture with layers of almond paste in the middle and on top, and decorated with 11 marzipan balls to represent the apostles of Jesus – minus Judas Iscariot.
Mother’s Day celebrations declined in popularity in the 1900s but were rejuvenated by the efforts of an American woman named Anna Jarvis in the 20th Century. Jarvis’s lobbying of President Woodrow Wilson resulted in Mother’s Day becoming an official American holiday in 1914.
The Environmental children prepared a nice surprise for their moms:) THEY LOVE THEM.
Ms. Eva Gogova