Mother‘s Day or Mothering Sunday? 4/09

„Working mothers are guinea pigs in a scientifi c experiment to show that sleep is not necessary to human life.“ ~ Author Unknown

Mother´s Day is today celebrated in almost every country on the earth. It is still a good way of treating your mother, and gifting her a change from her normal routine of life.

In Britain it was called Mothering Sunday. This religious festival celebrating motherhood goes back to 250 BC when the Romans honoured the mother goddess Cybele during mid-March ( three weeks before Easter).

It is believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one‘s mother‘s church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. This tradition allowed servants and workers to go home on the weekend so that they could visit their families. On this day mothers and children would be together.

Interestingly, America borrowed the concept but tried adding a different twist to it-that was by trying to make it a day of peace and disarmament and also by celebrating it on the second Sunday of May. Their Mother‘s Day was inspired by the British day and was imported by a social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. In 1870, she wrote the Mother‘s Day Proclamation to unite women against war. However, Mothering Sunday remains in the calendar of some Canadian Anglican churches, particularly those with strong English connections.

Today, Mother´s Day has a whole new meaning to it. It is looked upon as a day to remember your mother for all the things she has done for you, and to show your appreciation towards her by doing any little task such as cooking a meal, taking her out for a walk. In today‘s age, where children move out of their parental homes at a younger age, such a day actually helps them keep the bond with their mothers alive. People take the time to go shopping for their mothers, and to spend the day with them. There is a wide range of Mother´s Day cards, presents and others gifting articles which can be given to your mother.

Of course, this idea has also come under criticism, as people feel that it is not enough to remember your mother just one day of the year but all around.

Pavla Mrůzková, Katedra jazyků VŠB-TUO

zdroj: Wikipedia, Funny Quotes

Vocabulary:
guinea pig                                                pokusný králík
motherhood                                             mateřství
honour the mother goddess                       uctívat bohyni matku
be reunited                                              opět se shledat
servants                                                  sloužící
twist                                                        pootočení
disarmamen                                            odzbrojení
remain                                                    zůstat
appreciation                                             uznání, ocenění
keep the bond                                         udržovat pouto
wide range                                               široká paleta