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Mother's day is an opportunity to celebrate our mothers for all the wonderful things that they do (and have done).  Whether you're thousands of miles from home or being teacher's pet and spending the big day with her, make sure your mother knows how much you think of her; send her one of our arrangements and she'll know just how special you think she is. Need to send flowers abroad? Click here for our international range.

Mother's Day Flowers on Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent in the UK, though it falls on different days across the world.  Although it's often called "Mother's Day" it has no connection with the American festival of that name.  Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.

History of Mothering Sunday

Most Sundays in the year churchgoers in worship at their nearest parish or daughter church.  Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or mother; church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their mother, church, or the main church or Cathedral of the area.

Inevitably the return to the "Mother" church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home for work once they were ten years old.)  And most historians think that it was the return to the "Mother" church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family.  As they walked along the country lanes, children would pick wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift.

International Mother's Day

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter).

Mothering Sunday honored the mothers of England. During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the Mother Church - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.

In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.

In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. The table below shows the dates for Mother's Day in the UK and the US.

Year Mothering Sunday in the UK Mother's Day in the US
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016		 22nd March
14th March
3dr April
18th March
10th March
30th March
15th March
6th March		 10th May
9th May
8th May
13th May
12th May
11th May
10th May
8th May

While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

Also read our post to learn the answer to the question "when is Mother's Day?".

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Customer Comments
  • Friday 12 June 2009
    Thanks, my daughter-in-law loved the flowers said they were beautiful, in fact the best she had received from anyone yesterday, including her husband! I will definitely use your website for all my future orders.
    Regards, Sharmeen

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  • Friday 05 June 2009
    That was brilliant - beautiful flowers, on time, right place - just perfect. As we say in Far North Queensland - good on ya mate.
    Giles C. PS Thank you.


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