Contrary to popular belief, Mother’s Day was not conceived and fine-tuned in the boardrooms of Hallmark. Historians believe that the modern day tradition of honouring our mothers dates back to the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. The Greeks dedicated their spring festival to Rhea, the mother of many deities, and the Romans made offerings mid-March to the goddess Magna Mater, great mother, dating back to 250 BC. The celebration of the ‘mother church’ replaced these so-called pagan festivals during the spread of Christianity throughout Europe. This mother church was believed to be a spiritual power giving life, and protecting its people from harm and so it became customary to bring gifts to the church. Since then, this gift giving has evolved to the flowers, cards and presents that we shower our mums with today.
Mother’s Day is celebrated on many different days all over the world, however the majority all seem to connect with those Greek and Roman spring festivities. In Lebanon mother’s day is held on the first day of spring, South Africa holds its celebrations on the first Sunday in May and the festival Durga Puja in honour of Durga, the divine mother and most important Hindu goddess in India, is celebrated over a 10 day period. Whenever or however mother’s day is celebrated, the central theme of honouring your good ‘ol mum is uniform the world over. Oh, by the way, Mother’s Day in Portugal is on May 1, so place your flower orders today!
