When a child is born, there is a new beginning for the mother. She was not extant as a mother before and fulfilling that role is entirely new for her.
As a mother you
will hear yourself saying your mother’s words to your own children and one day
you will look in the mirror and see your mother.
Mothering Sunday
can be traced back as far as ancient Greece when an annual spring festival was
held. This was a dedication to Rhea, mother of the gods.
In the UK and
Ireland, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent meaning
that it falls on a different date each year. It has no connection with the
American Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in May each year.
Hundreds of
years ago it was important for everyone to return to his or her home or
‘mother’ church in the middle of Lent, once a year. The church where people
would worship on most Sundays was called their ‘daughter’ church. Girls would
leave home early, sometimes as young as ten, and go to work as domestic
servants. Midway through Lent they were allowed one day’s holiday to return
home to their family to go to their ‘mother’ church. They would take a cake,
probably a simnal cake, to their family, which they would have baked themselves
whilst they were learning to cook. If the cake lasted until Easter then they
were considered to be a good cook. Later the cake became more traditional to
bake for Easter rather than Mothering Sunday. They would have had to walk home
to visit their families and on the way would pick wild flowers, violets maybe
or celandines, and they would take them to the church or give them to their
mothers.
Whilst attending
church on Mothering Sunday there was sometimes a ceremony called
‘church-clipping’. During this the churchgoers would hold hands and form a
circle (if there were enough people) and they would then walk around the
church. This may have been a Pagan ritual originally, but is more likely to
have symbolised love and friendship.
The fasting rules of Lent were relaxed on
Mothering Sunday and another name for the day was Refreshment Sunday and often
something called furmety was prepared and served. This was hulled, cracked wheat,
like Bulgar wheat, or sometimes barley, boiled in milk with had spice added and
then sweetened with sugar. However, in Scotland and the north of England
carlings were the preferred refreshment. Carlings were like pancake made from
dried peas that have been soaked overnight and seasoned then fried in butter.
This gave rise to the fourth Sunday in Lent being called Carling Sunday.
Mother’s Day in Norway is celebrated on
the second Sunday in February. America celebrates ‘Mothers’ Day’ on the second
Sunday of May, as do Australia, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Finland and Turkey. On
the last Sunday in May, France has their Mothers’ Day, which is a huge family
gathering. After dinner the mother, or mothers are presented with an ornate and
beautifully made cake.
Argentina has Mother’s Day on the Second
Sunday in October. Also in October, the Hindu people of India honour Durga, the
Divine Mother with a ten-day festival called Durga Puja.
Moving on to December, Portugal and Spain
praise the Virgin Mary on the 8th and this is their Mothers’ Day celebration.
You
only have one mother, patient, kind and true,
No
other friend in all the world, will be as true to you.
© Karen Ette
Photographs © Syd Spence
