Ah, Mother’s Day – the day sons, daughters and spouses around the country step up and show their dear mums exactly how much they’re loved by buying flowers, chocolates and gifts. It’s difficult to deny that the day is becoming increasingly commercialised, with mounting pressure to present mum with an even-better-than last-year’s present and take her out for an extravagant brunch.
Actually, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a day set aside to commemorate mums, even if it is commercialised. Why not? Mums are superheroes. They create and raise us, love and teach us, guide and protect us. They’re our family and friends (and sometimes our nemesis).
So, how did Mother’s Day begin?
In western cultures, Mother’s Day began when American peace activist Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at a church in Grafton, West Virginia. She then went on a campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognised holiday in the United States. This was granted in 1905 and soon spread to other parts of the world, including Australia, China and the UK.
But before Anna Jarvis, commemoration of the mother-figure had been occurring elsewhere around the world for thousands of years.
From around the 6th century, the ancient Greeks were worshipping the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele. In Ancient Rome, the Festival of Hilaria (the cheerful ones) also honoured Cybele. This day occurred at the beginning of spring, on the first day after the vernal equinox (the first day of the year that was longer than the night).
And while the Catholic and Protestant holiday Mothering Sunday commemorated Mother Church rather than motherhood, it still represented a kind of devotion to the mother figure. Mothering Sunday was celebrated in parts of Europe from around the 16th century. Christians attended the church in which they were christened on Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of the season of Lent), to observe a special service.
So, if you want to make Mother’s Day more meaningful this Sunday, why not dial it back to its ancient roots and use the day as an opportunity to ‘honour’ your mother in a simpler way?
Instead of worrying about presents and lavish meals, just spend time being with her – really get to know her as a person. Often, we think so strongly of our mothers as ‘mums’ that we forget they’re individuals. Let her tell you stories about her life before children – her hopes and dreams, things she loved and disliked, places she went and people she knew. I bet, once you start talking, you’ll meet a person you never knew before.
How will you commemorate your mum this Sunday? If you are a mum, how would you like to spend the day?
