Mother\u2019s Day is one of those dates most of us don\u2019t think too much about until it\u2019s right upon us.<\/p>\n
Apart from remembering roughly where it falls in the year and ensuring you get something for your mom, you probably just think about it as something that happens every year and has done so for a long time.<\/p>
In truth, the Mother\u2019s Day we know is a comparatively recent phenomenon, although it has antecedents in other celebrations of maternity all around the globe.<\/p>\n
Modern Beginnings: <\/strong><\/p> The contemporary form of Mother\u2019s Day — celebrated on the second Sunday of May — is an American invention.<\/p>\n It was first celebrated in 1908 when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia.<\/p>\n Thanks to Jarvis\u2019 efforts, US president Woodrow Wilson declared Mother\u2019s Day a national holiday in 1914.<\/p>\n While you might think that Jarvis would be pleased with how quickly her celebration of maternal love had grown, she actually became resentful of its rapid commercialisation.<\/p>\n The holiday, she argued, had become about profit rather than sentiment, as she had originally intended.<\/p>\n Going global: <\/strong><\/p>\n While many countries around the globe, including South Africa, have adopted the American celebration of Mother\u2019s Day, many more have their own, much older, celebrations of motherhood.<\/p>\n One of the more well-known examples of this is \u201cMothering Sunday\u201d, celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent in the United Kingdom and Nigeria.<\/p>\n In other countries, the term \u201cMother\u2019s Day\u201d has been attached to days significant to the majority religion, such as Virgin Mary Day in Catholic countries.<\/p>\n Still, other countries, such as Greece, celebrate both the religious day and the secular one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Make sure mom is kept safe this Mother\u2019s Day<\/a><\/p>\n Be a financially savvy mom<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Celebrations:<\/strong><\/p>\n Most countries around the globe have adopted the American practice of giving mothers flowers and cards.<\/p>\n In many of these countries, however, the day comes with an interesting local twist.<\/p>\n In Belgium, for example, the father will typically buy croissants and other fresh pastries, bringing them to the mother while she\u2019s still in bed, signalling the start of a day of indulgence and pampering.<\/p>\n In Egypt meanwhile, the day is celebrated with classical songs celebrating mothers.<\/p>\n And in Ethiopia, Mother\u2019s Day is a three-day celebration which comes at the end of the rainy season.<\/p>\n The celebration includes a feast, where mothers and daughters anoint themselves with butter on their chests and faces, while the men sing songs honouring their families and heroes.<\/p>\n Some countries, such as Finland, use the day to celebrate mothers who\u2019ve done something extraordinary during the year, while others commemorate great women from their history.<\/p>\n Continuously evolving: <\/strong><\/p>\n One thing that is certain is that wherever Mother\u2019s Day is celebrated around the world, it\u2019s evolving.<\/p>\n That\u2019s as true in South Africa as it is anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n More and more, people are out to make a full day of it and celebrate the occasion.<\/p>\n Sometimes that entails going out to a restaurant for breakfast or lunch, other times it means a family hike followed by a picnic.<\/p>\n Still other times, it can mean a reminder that human moms aren\u2019t the only ones out to protect their children.<\/p>\n The Johannesburg Zoo\u2019s annual Mother’s Day Concert<\/a> is a good example of the last of these.<\/p>\n As well as, musical performances the concert features animal tours and a children\u2019s area, making it a safe environment for the whole family to enjoy.<\/p>\n Make it about mom: <\/strong><\/p>\n However you choose to spend Mother\u2019s Day this year, just remember that it\u2019s about mom.<\/p>\n Think about what she\u2019d like before rushing to embrace a new tradition.<\/p>\n This is her day, let her have it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za <\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist)\u00a0kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n YouTube\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Or add the GCN on\u00a0<\/b><\/span>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0<\/span>Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n