Mother's Day: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 18:25, 12 May 2009
| Mother's Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Many countries |
| Type | Historical |
| Date | Varies regionally |
| Related to | Father's Day, Parents' Day |
Mother's Day owes its origins to several long standing traditions in Europe and the UK where a speific Sunday was set aside to honor motherhood and mothers. Traditionally the day was marked by the giving of token gifts and the relinquishing of certain traditionally female tasks such as cooking and cleaning to other members of the family as a gesture of appreciation.
While the role of the woman has become less rigid in modern day society Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday) as it has been called in the UK dating back to the sixteenth century, remains an important day for the honoring of the role that mother's play in the home and in society in general. There is a corresponding holiday for Fathers called, not surprisingly, Father's Day, but most sources site this as a more recent addition coming about in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
While considered by many as a "Hallmark Holiday", ie. one with a purely commercial background, Mother's Day is actually a long standing tradition in the UK and several countries in Europe, and has cooresponding equivalents in many countries, including parts of India and many communities in Eastern Africa and the Far East.
The modern Mother's Day holiday in the United States has been attributed to concerted efforts by American Anna Jarvis and her Mother's Day International Association which she founded in 1912. The idea, however, that this is not linked in any way to the older British and European versions, from where the majority of the of original North American settlers originated, is clearly spurious.
[[File:Mothers' Day Cake.jpg|thumb|250px|A Mother's Day cake, one of many was a traditional family might celebrate Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday
Historical antecedents
Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins.[citation needed]
One school of thought[who?] claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.
The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.
In addition to Mother's Day, International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries on March 8.
Spelling
The United States version of the Holiday can trace its origins back to 1912 when Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association to continue the tradition of honoring mothers that had long been established in the United Kingdon where her ancestors originated. [1][2]
"She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world."[1]
This is also the spelling used by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in the law making official the holiday in the U.S., by the U.S. Congress on bills,[3][4] and by other U.S. presidents on their declarations.[5]
Common usage in English language also dictates that the ostensibly singular possessive "Mother's Day" is the preferred spelling, although "Mothers' Day" (plural possessive) is not unheard of.
Dates around the world
Mother's Day is celebrated on different days throughout the world. Examining the trends in Google searches for the term "mother's day" shows two primary results, the smaller one on the fourth Sunday in Lent, from the British tradition of Mothering Sunday (it is also called ladies day and women's day), and the larger one on the second Sunday in May.[6]
The extent of the celebrations varies greatly. In some countries, it is potentially offensive to one's mother not to mark Mother's Day. In others, it is a little-known festival celebrated mainly by immigrants, or covered by the media as a taste of foreign culture (compare the celebrations of Diwali in the UK and the United States).
Note: Countries that celebrate International Women's Day are marked with a cross '†'.
| Gregorian calendar | ||||||||||||
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Second Sunday of February |
February 8, 2009 |
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Shevat 30 |
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Fourth Sunday in Lent |
March 22, 2009 |
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First Sunday in May |
May 3, 2009 |
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May 10, 2009 |
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Last Sunday of May |
May 31, 2009 |
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Second Sunday of June |
June 14, 2009 |
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Last Sunday of June |
June 28, 2009 |
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Second Monday of October |
October 12, 2009 |
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Third Sunday of October |
October 18, 2009 |
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Last Sunday of November |
November 29, 2009 |
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| Islamic calendar | ||||||||||||
| Occurrence | Dates | Country | ||||||||||
| June 23, 2008 | ||||||||||||
International history and traditions
In most countries, Mother's Day is a recent observance derived from the holiday as it has evolved in North America and Europe. Many African countries adopted the idea of one Mother's Day from the British tradition, although there are many festivals and events celebrating mothers within the many diverse cultures on the African continent that long pre-date colonization. In Nepal and other hindu tradition, it is called "Mata Tirtha Aunshi" or "Mother Pilgrimage fortnight".
Nepal
Mata Tirtha Aunshi falls in the month of Baishak dark fortnight (April). This festival falls in the time of dark moon’s time which is why this called "Mata Tirtha Aunshi" derived from words: “Mata” meaning mother; “Tirtha” meaning pilgrimage. This festival is observed in the commemoration and respect of the mother which is celebrated by worshipping and gifting living mother or remembering mothers who have become immortal and are resting in peace. Going to Mata Tirtha Pilgrimage located towards the Kathmandu valley’s eastern side at Mata Tirtha Village development committee’s periphery is another tradition common in Nepal.
There is a very interesting legend regarding this pilgrimage. In ancient times Lord Krishna’s mother Devaki walked out her house to sight-see. She visited many places and delayed a lot to return back at her house. Lord Krishna became very unhappy because of his mother’s disappearance. So he went out in search of his mother to many places without success. Finally, when he reached “Mata Tirtha Kunda”, he happened to see his mother taking bath there in the spouts of that pond. Lord Krishna was very happy to find her there and narrated all of his tragedies in the absence of his mother. Mother Devaki said to lord Krishna that “oh! Son Krishna let then, this place be the pious rendezvous of children to meet their departed mothers”. So legends believe that since then this place had become a noted holy pilgrimage to see back a devotees’ deceased mother. Also legend believes that a devotee saw his mother’s image inside the pond and he happened to die falling there down. So still there is a small pond fenced by the iron rods in the place even on this present day as well. After the worship the pilgrimage enjoy there singing and dancing throughout the day in the festive mood. There is not evidence of happening of this legend as these are coming from elders based on ancient readings.
Japan
Mother's Day in Japan was initially commemorated during the Shōwa period as the birthday of Empress Kōjun (mother of Emperor Akihito). Nowadays it is a marketed holiday, and people typically give flowers such as carnations and roses as gifts.
China
In China, Mother's Day is becoming more popular, and carnations are a very popular gift and the most sold type of flower.[12] In 1997 it was set as the day to help poor mothers, specially to remind people of the poor mothers on rural areas such as China's west.[12] In the People's Daily, the Communist Party of China's journal, an article explained that "despite originating in the United States, people in China take the holiday with no hesitance because it goes in line with the country's traditional ethics -- respect to the elderly and filial piety to parents."[12]
In recent years Communist Party of China's member Li Hanqiu began to advocate for the official adoption of Mother's Day in memory of Meng Mu, the mother of Mèng Zǐ, and formed a Non-governmental organization called Chinese Mothers' Festival Promotion Society, with the support of 100 Confucian scholars and lecturers of ethics.[13][14] They also ask to replace the Western gift of carnations with lilies, which, on ancient times, were planted by Chinese mothers when children left home.[14] It remains an unofficial festival, except in a small number of cities.
Greece
Mother's Day in Greece corresponds to the Eastern Orthodox feast day of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Since the Theotokos (The Mother of God) appears prominently in this feast as the one who brought Christ to the Temple at Jerusalem, this feast is associated with mothers. [citation needed]
Iran
Celebrated on 20 Jumada al-thani, the birthday anniversary of Fatima, Muhammad's daughter. [11] It was changed after the Iranian revolution, the reason having been theorized as trying to undercut feminist movements and promoting role models for the traditional model of family.[15][16] It was previously 25 Azar on Iranian calendar during the Shah era [citation needed]
United Kingdom and Ireland
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday (March 22 in 2009). It is believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother's church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. Most historians believe that young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families.[17] As a result of secularization, it is now principally used to show appreciation to one's mother, although it is still recognized in the historical sense by some churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ as well as the traditional concept 'Mother Church'.
Mothering Sunday can fall at the earliest on 1 March (in years when Easter Day falls on 22 March) and at the latest on 4 April (when Easter Day falls on 25 April).
United States / Canada
The United States and Canada celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.
Vietnam
Mother's Day in Vietnam is called Lễ Vu-lan and celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. People with living mothers would be thankful, while people with dead mothers would pray for their souls.[citation needed]
Commercialization
Nine years after the first official Mother's Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become and spent all her inheritance and the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the celebration.[1]
Later commercial and other exploitations of the use of Mother's Day infuriated Anna and she made her criticisms explicitly known throughout her time.[1][18] She criticized the practice of purchasing greeting cards, which she saw as a sign of being too lazy to write a personal letter. She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother's Day, and she finally said that she "wished she would have never started the day because it became so out of control ...".[18]
Mother's Day continues to this day to be one of the most commercially-successful U.S. occasions. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother's Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States.
For example, according to IBISWorld, a publisher of business research, Americans will spend approximately $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts—like spa treatments—and another $68 million on greeting cards.[19]
Mother's Day will generate about 7.8% of the U.S. jewelry industry's annual revenue in 2008, with custom gifts like mother's rings.[20]
See also
- Father's Day
- Children's Day
- Mothering Sunday
- May crowning
- International Women's Day
- Hallmark holiday
Notes
- ^ Since the Islamic Calendar uses the lunar year, which is shorter than the solar year, the day will migrate through the seasons. Every year it will correspond to a different day in the Gregorian Calendar, so it is listed separately.
References
- ^ a b c d Louisa Taylor, Canwest News Service (2008-05-11). "Mother's Day creator likely 'spinning in her grave'". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Larossa, 1997, page 72(footnote 51)
- ^ House Vote #274 (May 7, 2008) H. Res. 1113: Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day (Vote On Passage)
- ^ House Vote #275 (May 7, 2008) Table Motion to Reconsider: H RES 1113 Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day
- ^ Presidential proclamations from The American Presidency Project:
- 71 - Mother's Day Proclamation, Franklin D. Roosevelt, May 3, 1934.
- Proclamation 3535 Mother's Day, 1963 John F. Kennedy, 26 April 1963.
- Proclamation 3583 - Mother's Day, 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson, 23 April 1964
- Proclamation 4437 - Mother's Day, 1976, Gerald Ford, May 5, 1976.
- Proclamation 6133 - Mother's Day, 1990, George Bush, May 10, 1990
- Proclamation 6559 - Mother's Day, 1993, Bill J. Clinton, May 7, 1993.
- Proclamation 8253 - Mother's Day, 2008, George W. Bush, May 8, 2008.
- ^ "mothers day (sic)". Google Trends. Google. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ "Principales efemérides. Mes Mayo". Unión de Periodistas de Cuba. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ "Calendario Cívico Escolar". Dirección Regional de Educación de Lima Metropolitana. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ Xinhua from China Daily (2006-05-16). "It's Mother's Day". SCUEC online.
- ^ "Haiti: Main Holidays". discoverhaiti.com. Retrieved 2008-07-08. * "6310.- Fêtes et Jours Fériés en Haiti" (in French). Retrieved 2008-07-08. Template:Fr icon
- ^ a b "Ahmadinejad highlights women's significant role in society". Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran News Service. 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
(...) the occasion of the Mother's Day marking the birthday anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA), the beloved daughter of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The day fell on June 23 [2008].
- ^ a b c "Mother's Day Popular in China". People's Daily. 2001-05-14.
- ^ people.com.cn, sina.com.cn (2008-06-17). "Researchers and Experts Propose a Chinese Mother's Day". All-China Women's Federation.
- ^ a b "Do we need our own Mother's Day?". China Daily. 2007-05-16.
- ^ Shahin Gerami (1996). Women in Fundamentalism. New York: Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8153-0663-6.
To this end, to counteract the Mother's Day of the previous regime, the state first moved it to December 16 [that was the date for that year?], to coincide with Fatemeh's birthday. Then it was expanded to a week with festivities, celebrations, speeches, gifts, prizes, and honors for achieving women.
online version - ^ Ali Akbar Mahdi (2003). "Iranian Women: Between Islamization and Globalization". Iran Encountering Globalization: Problems and Prospects (DOC). Ali Mohammadi. London and New York: Routledge/Curzon. ISBN 0415308275.
Other role models for women often cited by the officials and ideologues of the IRI are Khadijah, the prophet Mohammad's wife, and Zaynab, daughter of the first Shi'i Imam Ali. In fact, the IRI replaced the universal Mother's Day with Fatima Zahar's birthday.
- ^ "Mothering Sunday". Religion & Ethics. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ a b AP (2008-05-11). "Mother's Day reaches 100th anniversary, The woman who lobbied for this day would berate you for buying a card". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Recession or not: Mom comes 1st (phillyBurbs.com) | Local Business
- ^ Barnett Helzberg (2003). John Wiley and Sons (ed.). What I Learned Before I Sold to Warren Buffet. p. 80. ISBN 0471445398.
Bibliography
- LEIGH Eric Schmidt (1997). Princeton University Press (ed.). Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays (reprint, illustrated ed.). pp. 256–275. ISBN 0691017212.
- LAROSSA, Ralph (1997). University of Chicago Press (ed.). The Modernization of Fatherhood: A Social and Political History (illustrated ed.). p. 90,170-192. ISBN 0226469042.