Mother's Day is
a day dedicated, in many countries around the world, to paying tribute to our
mothers.
We have many
reasons to be grateful for their infinite love, devotion and generosity since
we were born; therefore, on this day we make them the absolute protagonists and
we try to ensure that they enjoy a few unforgettable hours, if possible in our
company.
It seems that
in Ancient Greece, celebrations were held in honour of Rhea, the mythological
goddess daughter of Uranus and Gaea. Rhea was the goddess of female fertility
and motherhood.
In classical
Rome, Cybele, the Magna Mater associated with the fertility of the earth and
nature, was venerated.
After the
emergence of the Christian religion, believers gradually transformed this pagan
celebration into a feast in honour of the Virgin Mary, mother of their only
god, Jesus of Nazareth.
In contemporary
times, Pope Pius IX established 8 December as the official date for celebrating
the Immaculate Conception. It was in 1854 and, since then, some countries have
kept that date to celebrate Mother's Day.
It is important
to note that the current holiday has a lot to do with two social activists in
the United States: Julia Ward Howe and Anna Reeves Jarvis. In the early 20th
century, these women succeeded in establishing a day to honour mothers. Thanks to their efforts, in 1914 President
Woodrow Wilson made the second Sunday in May officially Mother's Day.
The second
Sunday in May, a date established more than a century ago in the United States,
was adopted by many countries around the world, but not in all cases.
In Spain it is
celebrated on the first Sunday in May.
Mother's Day is
emotional for everyone, but undoubtedly those who experience it most intensely
are the children because it gives them the opportunity to prepare a beautiful
gift made with their own little hands.
The schools
know how important this is for the little ones and they tend to get involved in
this task by coming up with cool presents and providing the material to make
them. Others make them at home, with the help of their parents, siblings or
grandparents.
If children
want to create something at home, they don't need to make elaborate or
expensive crafts. Mothers will love any detail that their son or daughter has
put a lot of love into.
A classic that
can't be missed is a card written by the children themselves. All it takes is a
piece of cardboard folded in half and a few crayons/coloured pens to express
how much they love their mum.
