What is Mother's Day?

Mother’s Day is a holiday honouring motherhood and motherly figures in life. 476 countries worldwide celebrate the holiday, but dates and celebrations vary widely. Traditionally though, Mother’s day is celebrated around March or May and involves giving gifts to motherly figures in our lives to show appreciation, respect and love.

Why do we celebrate Mother’s Day?

On average, 86% of people celebrate Mother’s Day. The reasons behind celebrating differ depending on where you come from. For example, in some countries and cultures it could potentially be offensive to ignore Mother’s day as it could be seen as a form of disrespect. On the other hand, some countries don’t celebrate to the same extent or even at all. 

History of Mother’s Day 

Mother’s day traces back to Ancient Greece where an annual spring festival was tradition that celebrated the goddess of maternity, fertility and motherhood, Rhea. People from all over Greece would give food, drinks and flowers as offerings. These traditions can still be seen today in many countries where the gifts of flowers and food are still given.

Similarly, Ancient Romans celebrated their own spring festival, called Hilaria, through their first and most important temple, The Temple of Cybele. This temple was dedicated to the “Great Mother” (or ‘Magna Mater’), which the remains of stay standing today. The ‘Hilaria Spring Festival’, which was the celebration and to honour Cybele, the mother goddess. This celebration of a motherly figure, who is the goddess of fertility, still has its effects on Mother's Day today, such as the Hilaria festival having a period of fasting, similar to Lent and the appreciation of a mother, in this case being the goddess.

Another significant way Mother’s Day came to fruition is through Christianity and the early Christian festival known as ‘Mothering Sunday’. The tradition originally honoured mother’s and mother churches, which is a term depicting the churches as a mother themselves with love and care for its inhabitants, or more simply the main and closest church in your life. Many of the aspects of the Christian ‘Mothering Sunday’ have been adapted over time to fit today's standards of the holiday, however some key parts haven’t. For example, some Christians today celebrate Mother’s Day by going to their Church on that day, even if they necessarily don't every week and Christianity isn’t a high focal point in their lives.

Over time, these traditions have shifted to make Mother’s Day a more secular holiday where gifts are given to motherly figures to show appreciation and love. For example, in the US, most Mother’s Day traditions come from the 1900s when a woman called Anna Jarvis held a ceremony three years after her mother's death, Jarvis held a memorial ceremony to honour her mother and all mothers at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. At this ceremony, children offered gifts to their mother’s of flowers and other tokens of appreciation, which is still done today. However many gifts that you would give back in the past wouldn’t be given out today.

How to celebrate Mother’s Day today? 

In the world of today, it is much more common for people to offer gifts and tokens of appreciation of Mother’s day as a way to show their love and care for their motherly figures in life. As technology advanced and the world developed, gifts became much more sophisticated, but also much easier to purchase. An average of $26.7B is spent on Mother’s Day each year and so gifts have become more prevalent than they once were.

One of the most common and easily accessible gifts that have arisen relatively recently is Mother’s Day cards. These are the most simple and effective way to get across a loving message to your mum, grandma or any other motherly figure in your life. These cards can be personalised to make it extra special for the recipient, something which would have been difficult to do in the past. A staple and low risk gift for Mother's Day, a card is a perfect option all around. Why not try our 'Personalised First Mother's Day As My Mummy Card' or our 'If At First You Don't Succeed... Mother's Day Card'. Or if your feeling crafty, make your own!

Some other simple types of gifts are kitchen gifts. For the mother who just can't stop cooking, an apron or other kitchen clothing could be a good idea. For example, our 'Mum Kitchen Queen Apron' is the perfect gift for a mother that loves to cook and bake, and the extra personalised touch will make it feel special to the recipient. Another idea is a mug. A simple gift but effective gift idea as not only are they easily available and accessible, they are widely liked. Why not try our 'Personalised First My Mother Forever My Friend Mug', and even the matching coaster?

Another common and easy gift to purchase is flowers, with Mother’s Day being the day for the highest amount of flowers sold in a day in the year. They are a simple yet thoughtful gift that can be purchased pretty much anywhere so its just a case of finding the ones that are the best. 

Why not add to your celebrations by giving things other than with monetary value. For example, you could help out around the house or help cook food to show a form of appreciation aside from the gifts. Remember, you can always make Mother's Day extra special with some thought and care.