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WHY DO WE CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY?
By Rachel
Why do we celebrate mothers day? to have many dutiful sons and daughters,it is the day that they need to buy chocolates or flowers and a card for their mother and perhaps give them breakfast in bed or do the dishes for the day.but is this the real point for the day ,or is there more behind mothers day than cleaning dirty dishes?
There is considerable variation about the meaning of mothers day across the world and even the date depends on what country you are in.In the United Kingdom mother's days is on the third Sunday before Easter and is therefore linked to christian calendar.in contrast,in Thailand mother's day is in August on the birthday of Queen Sirikit kitiyakara,and in Namibia,America and a number of other countries the date falls on the second Sunday in May.
The reason for Mother's day in England , or mothering Sunday as it is traditionally called,is thought to originate from the practice of giving servants leave once a year to visit their families.Children were often sent at a young age to work as a servant or labourers in great houses or estates and were rarely given time off.with no public transport at this time(this was the 16th century), there was no quick method to get home.The opportunity to go home at least one Sunday a year gave the families a chance to meet and worship together before Easter.
The reason behind establishment of mothers Day in America is very different.Whilst the day is based loosely on the principle of the British mothering Sunday,the day was also established to unite women for peace and for the improvement of living condition in America.
In America ,Mothers day started to be celebrated shortly after the end of the American civil war(1861-1865)when living conditions,particularly sanitation, were extremely poor.However,it was nationally recognised with the intention of honoring mothers whose sons had died in war.
In the year 2012,neither of these meanings seem to have relevance.Commercialisation has taken over and shops seem to use the date as money making technique rather than to celebrate Christian values,to unite people to advocate for change against poor living condition or to commemorate lost loved ones.
How will you be celebrating Mothers day this year?Washing the dishes is the important way of thanking mothers for the time and effort they made in looking after their children, but the day is about so much more.if you are a christian,will you be making the effort to join your mother in her church to celebrate?if you an advocate for change,will you be using this day as a stimulus to work toward making a different?
This year Mothers day could be the motivation we need to stand together and support all the mothers in this country who struggle to bring up their children in difficult conditions.When celebrating mothers day this year,why not try to remember all the other mothers in this country as well? perhaps you can donate money to charity,buy food for a mother and children on the street or do something that will make a difference in Namibia and they all deserve our support and thanks.Happy Mothering Sunday to you all,