The History Of Mothering Sunday In The UK

                                                                                         

Since the 16th Century Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday) meaning it falls on a different date each year.

Mothering Sunday in the UK has in recent times, taken on the name and personality of ‘Mothers Day’ from America. In the US Mothers Day is in May and doesn’t change months year to year like it does in the UK. This transition to ‘Mothers Day’ from ‘Mothering Sunday’ has however meant that the original meaning of Mothering Sunday has been somewhat lost in the UK. It is now quite common for Mothers Day gifts and cards to be given as it has taken on a more commercial spin, rather than meaningful sentiment.

Mothering Sunday is has been known to be referred to as ‘Refreshment Sunday’ due to the fasting rules for Lent being somewhat relaxed to honour the “feeding of the five thousand” story from the Christian Bible.

Internationally, Mothers Day is said to have originated from an ancient Greek festival to Cybele, a mother of Greek gods. This festival took place at the time of the Vernal Equinox in Asia Minor and from the 15th to 18th March upon reaching Rome. The Romans also held a second holiday, Matronalia, dedicated to Juno, where gifts were usually given to mothers.

Whilst we cannot be 100% certain where the idea of Mothering Sunday began, we do know that about four hundred years ago in the UK, people would make a point of attending the largest of their local churches, the “mother church”.

We now refer to the “Mother Church” as a cathedral, the largest of all churches in an area. People who had visited the “mother church” were said to have attended “a Mothering”.

Mothering Sunday was the only day young British boys and girls who were in service (maids and servants), were allowed to visit their families. It would be quite common for the house cook to bake a cake for them to take home to their mothers, sometimes along with a gift of eggs or flowers.

Flowers became a more traditional gift over time as youngsters would gather them from the meadows as they walked home to see their families.

Whilst the commercialisation of Mothers day is ripe in modern times, many English churches still recognise the historical sense, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, along with the traditional concept 'Mother Church'.

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