 others Day is an expression of gratitude, love and respect; a time to appreciate and admire our mothers and grandmothers.
Mothers Day is the single biggest flower sending occasion in the calendar – bigger even than Valentine’s Day. It would seem that everyone everywhere has a mother or someone special to give thanks to on Mothers Day.
Mothers Day is celebrated world over, albeit on different days of the year. That said, whether March or May, Mothers Day is dedicated to honouring the women who give or have given so much to their families without ever asking anything in return.
In prehistoric tribes, the “Mother Goddess” was revered and worshipped as the “giver of life” and the tradition of Mothers Day itself stems from the Ancient Greeks who paid tribute to Rhea (Mother of the Gods) and to springtime motherhood. Spring time was – and still is – known as the most fertile time in the yearly calendar.
In Ancient Egypt, the Goddess Isis was known as the Queen of Heaven who ruled over motherhood.
In Rome it was Hera the jealous wife of Zeus who was the Mother Goddess, while in 17th Century England, and in Ireland, Lent became the time when mothers were honoured.
In the UK, the fourth Sunday of Lent is when Mothers Day is celebrated. Back in 17th Century England, strict rules applied at Lent; this was a time when penance was served and treats were with withheld. On the fourth Sunday of Lent, the rules were relaxed and Lent was deemed as over. Poor children who may have been working away in the grand stately homes or learning an apprenticeship were allowed home for Mothering Sunday. |
 The entire family would gather for a Lenten feast where the mother was treated as the guest of honour. She would be brought special gifts such as sweetmeats and cakes, and given flower bouquets or posies. The tradition of baking a Simnel cake stems from this time, whereby a fruit cake would be made first by boiling the fruit and then making the cake complete with a pastry case. The significance of a Simnel cake was seen as an end to the austerity of Lent.
Another rather unusual tradition was that of “Church Dipping” whereby the congregation would hold hands around the outside perimeter of the church, rather like ring of roses. In the past, Mothering Sunday has also been referred to as Laetare Day or Rose Day.
 According to data collected by the Flowers and Plant Association, 3.7 million bouquets were bought and sent for Mothers Day and Mothering Weekend during Mothers Day 2006. This number rose again in 2007, as is often the case year-on-year at Mothers Day.
The statistics also revealed that some 400,000 of these bouquets sent for Mothers Day 2006 consisted solely or primarily of roses, while 300,000 people opted for tulips and a further 300,000 chose freesia. In addition to the 3.7 million bouquets sent, another 100,000 people chose to send potted plants instead.
Research in 2006 concluded that 35% of the adult population chose to send flowers or plants to their mothers for Mothers Day – the most popular gift, above chocolates and jewellery, by some margin.
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