A fascinating history of Mothering Sunday

Submitted by MattAllen on Fri, 03/12/2021 - 11:04

This Sunday is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day where we celebrate the beauty of maternity.

Whilst we are all used to organising flowers, making breakfast in bed and fancy afternoon teas, totally spoiling Mum, Mothering Sunday originally had nothing to do with her!

Mothering Sunday originated as a religious event in the 16th Century.  The word ‘mothering’ actually referred to the ‘mother church’, the cathedral or the main church where they were baptized in the region. On the fourth Sunday of Lent everyone would visit their mother church for a special service. This became known as ‘going a mothering’. Latterly, Mothering Sunday became known as a day when domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother church, usually with their mothers and family, and the emphasis moved towards a celebration of mothers. 

Mother’s Day is something completely different, created in America in 1908 by a lady called Anna Jarvis to honour her own mother who was a peace activist in the American Civil War. Despite initial resistance, Anna persevered and in 1914 Mother’s Day was signed into existence in America.
Due to the increasing commercialism of the day, Anna then started campaigning against it.

Back over here, inspired by Anna Jarvis, in 1913 a vicar’s daughter named Constance Penswick-Smith decided to revive the tradition creating the Mothering Sunday Movement. This gradually built momentum and by the 1950’s, Mothering Sunday was celebrated across the British Isles and Commonwealth of Nations.

Whilst the terms Mothering Sunday and Mother’s Day originally meant very different things, today they are both used to celebrate our Mums.

Some interesting facts about Mothering Sunday:

We send over 30 million cards for Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is the biggest flower buying day of the year, even beating Valentine’s Day

Roses are the most popular flowers followed by Carnations

England was the first country in the world to dedicate a day to mothers

At Newlands we are looking forward to celebrating Mothering Sunday with a gift and a special menu that can be enjoyed in our restaurant or at home.  We look forward to welcoming daughters and sons who are now able to visit their loved ones under the government’s new roadmap guidelines. We hope everyone will be able to celebrate Mothering Sunday the best way they can.

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