Mother’s Day has been celebrated for several decades now. But why in the first place? And what does it all have to do with flowers? Find out more in this blog article.
This is why we celebrate Mother’s Day
It took a while for Mother’s Day to be established as an international day. A mother-daughter duo played a very special role in this.
First emergence
Already in the Middle Ages there were first efforts to celebrate mothers. In 13th century England, for example, there was “Mothering Day”, which was brought about by King Henry III. On this day, homage was to be paid to the church as a religious mother.
However, this rather transcendent worship was soon abandoned in favour of a day spent with the family. This was the first time that mothers were worshipped. However, this custom was lost in the course of time.
Establishment of Mother’s Day
Today’s Mother’s Day grew out of a young woman’s desire to honour her recently deceased mother. On Sunday 12 May in 1907, Anna Marie Jarvis had a memorial service held in Grafton, USA, to mark the occasion.
Anna’s mother, Ann Maria Jarvis, is known for having started the “Mothers’ Day Works Clubs” in 1858. Here, women from working-class families could talk about their social situation. After the American Civil War, she also founded the “Mothers’ Friendship Days”. Here, people cared for the wounded on both sides and hoped to be able to prevent wars in the future.
Anna’s memorial service was well received and led to all mothers being honoured in this very church the following year. In fact, the idea was so well received that it spread throughout America. This dissemination, to which Ann’s mother had devoted herself unsuccessfully after the war, could thus be implemented by her daughter. Considering Ann’s earlier efforts to make women’s voices heard more, one can therefore say that Mother’s Day was born out of the women’s movement!
So, after Ann’s long struggle, Mother’s Day was officially approved by Congress in 1914. The second Sunday in May was to be called “Mother’s Day” from then on. The idea then came to Switzerland via England and Germany in 1917.
Why do people give flowers for Mother’s Day?
At the memorial service, Anna distributed white carnations to all the mothers present. With the spread of the custom to the other states, people carried a colourful carnation from then on to honour their own mothers. White flowers paid homage – true to Anna’s example – to deceased mothers. Together with the veneration of mothers, this tradition was thus also transferred to other countries.
The most splendid flower to give for Mother’s Day today is probably the peony. It smells wonderful and is in season in May. Depending on the variety, it can even bring a magical surprise! But roses, tulips and ranunculus are also popular gifts. The latter two are also in bloom in Switzerland at this time.
Mother’s Day customs worldwide
In Europe, Mother’s Day is usually celebrated in a relatively similar way: flowers are given, children make things for their mothers, they are invited to a good meal and chocolate is given as a gift. But there are a few customs around the world that differ somewhat from this.
In Brazil, for example, Mother’s Day is a family day when all members of the family, from the mother’s former partner and their new life partners to grandchildren and cousins, come together. A meal is organised together and the mum is pampered.
It is completely different in Peru, where Mother’s Day can be understood more as a day of remembrance. People meet at the graves of deceased female relatives, take care of and decorate them. Nevertheless, food and drink are not neglected. Flowers are sold at the gates of the cemeteries.
Ethiopia, on the other hand, does not have a fixed date for Mother’s Day. It is celebrated sometime between October and November, as soon as the rainy season begins. This is because adult children visit their parents’ home at this time.
In France, a cake is baked in the shape of a flower. In Greece, meanwhile, there is a sweet honey cake. In Mexico, people like to sing a song to their mothers – sometimes they even call in a mariachi band.
In Russia, they celebrate International Women’s Day instead of Mother’s Day. Albania and South Korea also do not celebrate Mother’s Day as we know it here. Instead, they celebrate Parents’ Day, which honours mothers and fathers at the same time.
How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? Leave us a comment below. Then you can browse through our flower assortment.
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