Fun facts about Mother’s Day!
Hello! Let me remind you something. Mother’s Day is on this coming Sunday, 9th May 2021! Start to prepare something and give it to your mother as a surprise! Below are some fun facts about Mother’s Day!
- Mother’s Day isn’t always on the same date each year.
Do you know that we don’t have a fixed date for Mothers’ Day? The holiday is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May. Today Mother’s Day is celebrated in almost 50 countries around the world. However, it is celebrated on different days in the month of May; and in some countries at entirely different times of the year. In today’s world Mothers Day has come to be internationally recognized as the day to honour all mothers.
- In France, Mother’s Day is referred to as Fete des Meres. Mother’s Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May and is treated more like a family birthday. Families gather for a special meal.
- In Spain, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of December. It is closely associated with Mother Mary – the mother of Jesus.
- In Sweden, Mother’s Day is on the last Sunday in May and is a family holiday. The Swedish Red Cross sells small plastic flowers on the days leading up to Mother’s Day and the money raised is used to help needy mothers and their children.
- In Yugoslavia on “Materitse,” “Materice,” or Mother’s Day, the children tie up their mother, releasing her only when she has paid them to do so with sweets or other goodies.
- In India, Mother’s Day is celebrated nationally on 19 August.
2. Mother’s Day is the third highest selling holiday for flowers and plants.
Well, first and foremost who does not enjoy receiving flowers? Flowers have traditionally been a way of conveying feelings and letting the recipient know how important a role they play in the senders life. When it comes to playing an important role in an individuals life, it’s hard to top Mom!
After Christmas and Hanukkah, more people buy flowers and plants for their moms on Mother’s Day than any other holiday. Around approximately one quarter of all the flowers purchased throughout the year are bought for Mother’s Day.
3. Mother’s Day is the biggest flower buying day of the year in Britain
Looking for a present for Mum? Flowers are usually one of the first things that spring to mind. It’s little wonder then, that flower sales are up around 70% on Mother’s Day, compared with most other days of the year.
4. Creator of Mother’s Day had no child.
Anna Jarvis, the creator of Mother’s Day never had children herself. However, her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, had 13 children.
In the States, Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1907, thanks to Jarvis. Ironically, she later went on to protest the holiday, criticizing how overly commercialized it had become. Still, it’s nice to treat Mum once in a while and remind her that she is loved.
4. Carnations are the flowers typically associated with Mother’s Day
- Light red carnations represent admiration, while dark red denote deep love and affection.
- White carnations represent pure love and good luck, while striped (variegated) carnations symbolise regret that a love cannot be shared.
- Purple carnations indicate capriciousness
For your information, the carnation is the national flower of Spain, Monaco, and Slovenia, and the provincial flower of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.
Carnations are often worn on special occasions, especially Mother’s Day and weddings. In 1907, Anna Jarvis chose a carnation as the emblem of Mother’s Day because it was her mother’s favourite flower.
Ann Jarvis chose the white carnation because she wanted to represent the purity of a mother’s love. This meaning has evolved over time, and now a red carnation may be worn if one’s mother is alive, and a white one if she has died.
5. In the UK, around thirty million cards are sent on Mother’s Day.
30 million! An unfathomable amount! That is a lot of work for the good post men and women of the UK!
6. Some countries still observe ancient festivals honoring mothers.
In India, people celebrate Durga-puja, a festival that pays homage to the mother goddess, Durga. The festival is a ten-day event that takes place around September or October.
Want to know more about this ten day event, read here.
7. Traditionally, the food most associated with Mothering Sunday is Simnel Cake
The name simnel probably comes from the ancient Roman word simila, meaning fine flour. Around the 17th century, fancy simnel cakes came to be associated with springtime – they turn up in Mothering Sunday celebrations, Easter or the ‘day off’ from the religious fast of Lent known as Refreshment Sunday.
Do you know why does Simnel Cake has 11 balls? Simnel cake has been eaten since medieval times as both a rich, sweet treat and a symbolic ritual. The fruit cake is topped with eleven marzipan balls to represent the eleven apostles of Christ, minus Judas.
Mother is the one who is probably endowed with all the power. No creature in this Universe can be as powerful as a mother!! She can manage and control everything in any situation. In other words, God has given her the power to take up all the affairs of the world. Celebrating Mother’s day for a day is not enough to thank every single mother in this world. No one can replace her at any cost. Everyone should shower lots of love and care to her for their sacrifices.
Behind the success and growth of the child, there is a mother who stayed awake day and night to bring his/her dreams to reality. For the day a child is born, the work of the mother starts. Right from teaching to walk, eat, speak, and write she is always there for you. By giving up self dreams, a mother spends her life to fulfil the dreams of others. She adds colours and melody to the life of a child as well as family.
But today, many kids take the love and care of the mothers for granted. They don’t give due respect and show gratitude for all the sacrifices their mother has done in her life. This kind of behavior is totally wrong. We should never take things for granted.
With this, I would like to take an opportunity to thank my mother for everything she has ever done for me. Thank you for taking care of me and I love you!
