Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day for celebrating motherhood and thanking mothers. Mothers often receive gifts on this day, and it is a busy time of year for mail in many countries. In 1973, the U.S. Postal Service was held up for eight days because of the number of letters and cards.

1 Origins
2 Date
3 More

Origins

Mother's Day falls on various days of the year in different countries because it has a number of different origins. One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece. Mother worship - which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of gods, and Rhea, the wife of Cronus - was held on March 15 to March 18 around Asia Minor. They insist that this custom spread around the world from there.

Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (typically March or early April). It has been celebrated for hundreds of years, though the exact origin is uncertain. Tradition has it that young apprentices were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families.

In most countries, Mother's Day is a new concept copied from western civilisation. In many African countries, Mother's Day has its origins in copying the British concept. In most of East Asia, Mother's Day is a heavily marketed and commercialised concept copied straight from Mother's Day in the USA.

Date

In most countries this day falls in May, often on a Sunday.

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(content courtesy of Mothers Day)
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