Mothering Sunday

Today is Mother's Day here in the UK. Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent, so it is different each year. It is celebrated the same way as Mother's Day in the US and the terms Mothering Sunday and Mother's Day seem to be used interchangeably. Fortnum and Mason had some amazingly beautiful Mother's Day gifts on display at their location inside St Pancras train station. 

Historically, Mothering Sunday was a strictly religious day. During the sixteenth century, people returned to their mother church (either a large local church or the nearest cathedral) for a service held on the fourth Sunday in Lent. Mother church here means someone's home church rather than a reference to their mom. Below is a photo of the card I got for my mom (but I'm going to wait until Mother's Day in the US to give it to her so hopefully she acts surprised). 

Later on, Mothering Sunday evolved into a day when domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother church and worship with their families since conflicting work schedules typically prevented this.

This religious tradition eventually became the secular tradition of Mothering Sunday. The tradition faded but was brought back through the influence of American and Canadian soldiers serving abroad in World War II. Merchants saw a great commercial opportunity and promoted the holiday and by the 1950s Mothering Sunday was celebrated across the United Kingdom. 

As I walking to the bus stop this morning, a really nice street sweeper wished me a happy mother's day in a very thick cockney accent. It was delightful!