Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world as a way to honor the women who gave us life and the universal traditions and ancestry of motherhood. While we think flowers, gifts and dinner reservations are excellent ways to honor mothers, we think creating the conditions to empower all mothers might make a stronger statement. Wherever you’re celebrating this year, take a moment to consider what life is like for the mothers in your country and make a commitment to make Every Mother Count. That special lady might be a birth mother, but it could equally be someone who has taken on a mothering role-an aunt, grandmother, friend, or a foster parent.

History

During ancient times, the Greeks and Romans used to celebrate festivals honoring mother goddesses such as Rhea and Cybele. These celebrations were held in springtime and were dedicated to fertility as well as motherhood.

Mother’s Day is celebrated differently around the world.

The purpose of Mother’s Day is to express love, appreciation, and gratitude towards mothers and mother figures for their unconditional love, support, and sacrifices.

Mother’s Day around the world falls on different dates at different times of the year. Some of them line up, following the official Mother’s Day date set by the United Nations of the second Sunday in May. Others have their own traditional holidays and celebrations which are now also referred to as Mother’s Day.

Many countries and cultures have their own traditions to celebrate important people like mothers. People might refer to these celebrations as ‘Mother’s Day’ around the world, even if it has a different cultural background.

Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries worldwide, typically involving the gifting of flowers, cards, and heartfelt gestures to show gratitude and affection towards mothers. It is a day to celebrate and honor the significant role that mothers play in shaping families and society as a whole.

Mother’s Day is celebrated in more than 50 countries across the world, though not all countries celebrate it on the same day. The date changes from country to country, but it always falls on a Sunday.

India: 10-Day Festival
Each October, Hindus honor Durga, the goddess of mothers, during the 10-day festival known as Durga Puja. The celebration is thought to date back to the sixteenth century and is considered both a religious ceremony and a time for family reunions. One story tells of Durga returning to her parents’ home to show off her own children. Families spend weeks preparing food, gathering gifts, and decorating their homes for the festival.

Japan: The Right Flowers
Following World War II, a version of Mother’s Day grew popular as a way of comforting mothers who had lost sons to the war. You’ll see carnations presented around this March holiday, as they symbolize the sweetness and endurance of motherhood in Japanese culture. Originally, children gave a red carnation to a living mother and displayed a white one if their mother had died. Now, white has become the traditional color.

Ethiopia: Sing Along!
The Antrosht festival, observed at the end of the rainy season in early fall, is dedicated to moms. After the weather clears for good, family members from all over flock to their homes for a large meal and celebration. Daughters traditionally bring vegetables and cheese, while sons supply meat. Together, they prepare a meat hash and sing and perform dances that tell stories of family heroes.

United Kingdom: A Church Custom
Mothering Sunday” falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Back in the 1700s, the day was marked by young house servants returning home to spend time with their mothers. That custom evolved from an earlier one in which families who had moved away would return to the original church they attended. Today, the holiday remains grounded in religion, with many churches handing out daffodils for children to give to Mom. Traditionally, girls also bake a fruitcake for their mothers.

France: Medals For Mom
In 1920, the government of France began awarding medals to mothers of large families in gratitude for helping rebuild the population after so many lives were lost in World War I. After the second World War, the government declared the last Sunday in May to be the Day of Mothers. The traditional gift is now a flower-shaped cake.

America celebrates Mother’s Day on the most popular day around the world, the second Sunday in May. The modern Mother’s Day as many people know it was actually originated in America by Anna Jarvis in 1907. She campaigned for a day to celebrate mothers as a tribute to her own mother, who has passed away in 1905. Her campaign continued until 1911 when Mother’s Day became a recognised holiday across every state in the USA.

Mother’s Day in Australia is also celebrated on the second Sunday in May and began being celebrated in 1924. In fact, the tradition of gift-giving on Mother’s Day is said to have been started in Australia by Janet Heyden. In the aftermath of World War 1, there were a great many mothers who had lost their husbands and sons. So Janet Heyden began a campaign to give charitable gifts to them to make sure they still felt the love they deserved. This was a hit, and now gift-giving is a staple tradition for Mother’s Day around the world.

In Poland, Mother’s Day – or Dzień Matki – is always celebrated on the 26th of May every year, not changing date like many other countries. However, it isn’t treated as a public holiday.

Traditional celebrations also include gift and card making and giving. Children will make, decorate and write laurki, which are hand-made cards with paper flowers.

In Mexico, Día de las Madres is celebrated on the 10th of May every year. It’s a huge event, just to celebrate mothers and honor them with the love they deserve. Families will come together to celebrate with music, food and flowers. People might hire bands and play songs to serenade their mothers, even waking them up with a song to start the day. One of the most popular choices of song is Las Mañanitas which is also sung for birthday celebrations. The evenings are full of food, bringing plenty of dishes to serve together or going out to eat. It’s actually the busiest day of the year for restaurants in Mexico!

Children in our Environmental Club also prepared a beautiful surprise for their moms.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

Ms. Eva Gogova