cultures more accessible than
ever. But the reason behind the success of Mother’s Day in India can be
attributed to the emotions which are attached to the festival. Mothers are
mothers everywhere; they are as much loved and respected in India as in any other part of the world. Perhaps Indians
have always felt the need of such a day which is devoted solely to mothers.
Time to Reflect
Just as in the West, Indians too take Mother’s Day as a time to reflect on the
importance of mothers in their life. They take time to think about all the
pains their mother took while they were sick, the hardships she went through in
bringing them up and all the sacrifices she made so that they lead a better
life. Mother’s Day is the time to say a big thank you to mother for all this
and for being a constant guiding force in our lives.
“All that I am or ever hope to
be, I owe to my angel Mother," wrote Abraham Lincoln. We all are greatly influenced by our Mothers. She
remains a great source of inspiration for all of us throughout our lives. Her
power and charisma can't be matched by any other force on this Earth. Mother's
greatness and her sense of self sacrifice have inspired people, from time to
time, to ink their feelings and emotions, in a number of ways, especially in
poetry.
Mother's
Day in UK
Mothers Day in UK is celebrated with great
excitement and verve but it does not fall on the same date as in US. In UK, Mother's
Day celebrations takes place on the fourth Sunday in the month of Lent. Since
the Lent days are not fixed, the date for mothers Day changes every year.
Mothers Day came to be celebrated in UK in 17th century as Mothering
Sunday, much before the custom began in US. Today, the traditional festival of
Mothering Sunday is more commonly called as Mother’s Day in England and is
celebrated in much the same way as it is celebrated in US. On this day children
give flowers and bouquets to their mother to express their love for her.
History
The tradition of celebrating Mothers Day began much earlier in England than it started in USA. In fact England was the
first country in the world to dedicate a day for mothers as early as 1600s.
They called this day for mothers as 'Mothering
Sunday'.
The festival has its roots in the practice wherein
poor people in England
send their little children to work as domestic servants or apprentice with the
rich. At that time it was considered important by the people that these
children, staying away from their families be allowed to visit their homes once
in a year. The time decided for the annual visit to home was middle Sunday of
the fasting period of Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter). For this
reason, the day was called 'Refreshment Sunday' or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. In
England the day dedicated for mothers was more commonly called Mothering Sunday
as people, mainly children visited their 'Mother Church' or the church of their
home and not the 'Daughter Church', the closest church in the vicinity.
After paying a visit to church, children met
their mothers and presented them flowers, which they gathered from bushes along
the way. Girls baked special cakes called 'Simnel Cakes' for their mothers. The
tradition of Mothering Sunday stopped with the advent of Industrial Revolution
in England
when the working conditions and life pattern changed. Over the period of time
one Sunday - 4th Sunday in Lent (3 weeks before Easter) was reserved in honour
of mothers.
Flowers record their maximum sale
as people in England
love to express their gratitude for their mothers by gifting them flowers more
than anything else. Most popular flowers on Mother’s Day in Great Britain
are roses followed by carnations and chrysanthemums.
Mother's
Day in Mauritius
This is
always the last Sunday in May (Sunday 25th May).Mauritians mark this day by visiting their mothers,
bring flowers to them, have family get-together. They have a great tradition of
honouring their women and mothers on that particular day; unfortunately, the
rest of the year many of these women and mothers become victims of abuse,
crimes, beaten up and raped by the men who had expressed their love and respect
to their mothers, daughters, girl-friends. Victim Support in Mauritius deals
with a lot of cases of such violence throughout the year. However, Mauritius is
not alone in this; throughout the world, men degrade their women while once a
year they profess to love and revere them. Mother’s day should be a day for all
men to learn how to change their behaviour towards the fairer sex of our
society. If this can be achieved, Mother’s day would take on a much greater
significance. Why don’t we all do something positive about this from now on?
The
word "Mother" is a mantra and it is charged with power. Say the word
"Mother" a few times and you will be in an altered state. God is called the mother. During
mother's Day you remember your biological mother, but also the Universal
Mother.
The mother of the Universe uses your biological father to give you life. The bond between you and your mother is very
profound. You made this contract before coming to the earth plane (both
the mother and the child). You have known each other for a long, long time and
made a contract to be together through this relationship. Even after death, for
either the mother or the child, the relationship continues.
Did you know that you could receive Grace by honouring your mother?
Remember your mother at all times, not
only on Mother’s Day. Indeed, Mother’s day is the time to remember your mother
whether she is alive, sick in bed or passed on. Your relationship with your
mother may have been rocky, good, bad or