Lifestyle

Celebrating Marvellous Mothers Around the World

March 29, 2022

4 minute read

Love is a universal language. Through the peaks and troughs of our lives, our mother’s love is there to help guide us. It only seems fitting that around the world we have at least one day to celebrate this: Mother’s Day.

There are many traditions surrounding this celebration. In the UK, Mother’s Day usually involves spending time with their loved ones, eating good food, and sharing gifts. In 2021 alone, retail spending amounted to a staggering £1.34 billion – that’s a lot of tasty treats and memorable presents!

Gabriella Peace, Communications Manager at UK Greetings, a leading card supplier throughout the nation, discusses the significance of Mother’s Day for families and businesses alike:

“Mother’s Day is a wonderful celebration of the amazing mothers in our lives. Not only that, but this is also a great opportunity to express our appreciation for everything they do. It’s always a good idea to share how much they mean to us, after all.

“Mother’s Day is also one of the most significant seasonal events in our industry. On this day, we see a huge demand for our cards. These allow people to share their love for their mums, especially if the card is filled with a personalised message.”

Here, we will explore three variations of Mother’s Day traditions around the world.

Mother’s Day celebrations in the United Kingdom

If we’re going to explore these celebrations around the world, where better to start than our very own home? In the United Kingdom, the date of Mother’s Day changes from year to year, but we can guarantee that it will take place on 27^th March in 2022.

It may be surprising, however, to find out this tradition originates from the Catholic church. On Mothering Sunday, the people of antiquity would venture to the Mother Church to be baptised. This was known as going a-mothering.

As well as expressing devotion to the church, this holy day allowed people to indulge in hearty foods during the 40 days of lent. It was customary to bake a Simnel Cake, which is a fruit sponge decorated with eleven marzipan balls. Of course, these represented the disciples of Jesus Christ, and make for delicious decorations nonetheless.

These traditions may well have begun in ancient history, but they have evolved to become the Mother’s Day we recognise now. Every year, families from across the nation attend church services – although they probably aren’t going with the intention of being baptised. More so than anything else, we continue to indulge our mothers with scrumptious foods and gifts. After all, who can deny a box of chocolates, a floral bouquet, or a heartfelt card?

Día de las Madres celebrations in Mexico

The Mother’s Day festivities don’t stop there. In Mexico, families celebrate Día de las Madres on May 10^th every year. These traditions were influenced by Catholicism, Western cultures, and a noteworthy article written by Rafael Alducin in 1992.

Overall, Día de las Madres shares many similarities with Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. It is customary for families to spend quality time together to eat food and share gifts. In addition to this, there is a special Mass which religious families may choose to attend.

There is one thing that sets Día de las Madres apart from the rest: the music. Las Mañanitas is a special song that children sing for their mothers. It doesn’t matter how old they are, everyone can master a cappella for their mother. This is a Mother’s Day tradition we could get behind.

Fête des Mères celebrations in France

Similar to Día de las Madres, France has its own celebrations. Fête des Mères is held on the last Sunday in May, which will be May 30^th in 2022. Gifts are also shared in France, with the average person spending between €20 (£16.70) and €30 (£25.05) on their mothers.

The history of Fête des Mères can be traced back to 1906 when two mothers were given flowers to commemorate their incredible achievements as mothers. Flowers may seem an expected element of Mother’s Day celebrations, but Fête des Mères goes one step further.

A medal is given to women who mother multiple children: bronze for four or five, silver for seven or six, and gold for eight or over. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate marvellous mothers, can you?

Mothers deserve to be celebrated every day of the year, including Mother’s Day. It doesn’t matter where they are in the world, it is likely their culture will have a version that resembles ours in the United Kingdom. Both independent and high-street retailers should consider the widespread traditions of motherly appreciation throughout the year. Whether this entails sweet treats, floral delights, light-hearted songs, or gold medals. How has your business prepared to celebrate?