Why do we celebrate Mother's Day?

The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the ancient Greeks.  During the 17^th century early Christians in England celebrated a day to honor Mary, the mother of Christ, and later included all mothers.  Named Mothering Sunday and celebrated on the 4^th Sunday of Lent, this day honored all mothers in England.

During this period the underprivileged classes worked as servants for the wealthy and, as most jobs were located far from their families, the servants ‘lived-in’.  On Mothering Sunday, the servants were given the day off and encouraged to return home to spend the day with their mothers.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration evolved and the celebration changed to honour the ‘Mother Church’.  Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday tradition and people began honouring their mothers and the church on the same day.

The modern Mother’s Day celebration was created by Anna Jarvis in the USA, in the early 1900’s as a day to honour mothers and motherhood and is now celebrated on various days in many parts of the world.

This year in the UK, we celebrate Mother’s Day on 14^th March which still ties in with the Christian calendar’s 4^th Sunday in Lent, when many churches give the children in the congregation on Mothering Sunday, a little bunch of spring flowers to give to their Mothers as a thank you for all the care and love throughout the year.

Flowers still remain the most traditional Mother’s Day gift and a great opportunity to buy some of the fabulous varieties of spring flowers now coming into season.

I love this time of year when all the spring bulbs start poking through – there’s nothing more heart-warming than a bright, simple bunch of daffodils.  There’s lots of other great flowers available at this time of year too – here’s a few ideas for some simple Mother’s day flowers.

 

A single carnation placed in a small pot tied with ribbon - you could also use a small coffee cup & saucer - for a simple stylish table decoration.

A Pot of Gold - Ranunculus, Tulips and Yellow Forsythia, for a rustic bunch set off to one side in a square vase.

A simple Rose Wrap - using Mum's favourite roses, buy a couple of pieces of Organza fabric in complimentary colours as an alternative to a tradtional paper wrapping.