Mother, The Sweetest Sound Of The World

The Mother's Day holiday, as observed today in the United States, celebrates motherhood generally and the contributions of mothers to society. It falls on the second Sunday of each May. It is the result of a campaign by Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948), who, following the death of her mother on May 9, 1905, devoted her life to establishing Mother's Day as a national, and later an international, holiday.

Mother's Day History

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Mother's Day. Some experts state that it originated from the tradition some four hundred years ago where worshippers at English churches would visit the nearest Cathedral or "Mother Church" on the middle Sunday in Lent, instead of their Local Church. This tradition was known as Mothering.

At this time, many children of poorer families would live away from their mothers "in service" with a wealthy employer. Mothering Sunday was the one day of the year when these children were allowed to visit their homes and families. The children wanted to take gifts home to mum so would either have their employer's permission to bake a cake or they would pick wild flowers on the walk home.

Mother's Day around the World

Mother's Day in the UK is on the middle sunday of Lent (Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday), so falls on a different date each year. This year it's Sunday March 2nd 2008
In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. This year it will be on Sunday, May 11th 2008. Other countries that share this date include: Japan, Turkey, Denmark, Australia, Italy, Canada, Belgium and Finland.

Another group of countries celebrate Mother's Day on May 10th, these include: Mexico, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In France and Sweden it's the last Sunday in May, and in Argentina it's the Second Sunday in October.