5 Facts About Mothering Sunday

22 nd March 2020

Mothering Sunday

5 Facts About mother’s Day That may surprise you!

1. it has a religious origin The origin of Mothering Sunday dates back to the 16th century when children working away from home used to visit their ‘mother church’ and families on the 4th Sunday of lent, known as Laetare Sunday. It wasn’t unti l the 20th century though when the daughter of a vicar, Constance Smith, started a move to have an offi cial day dedicated to mothers. She was inspired by a lady in America, Anna Jarvis, who was trying to do the same thing over there. Laetare Sunday seemed the obvious date to choose as children traditi onally visited their mother’s on that day anyway. 2. it is on a different date each year because it is linked to lent Because of it’s religious origin Mothering Sunday in the UK always falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Day. 3. it is celebrated on different dates around the world In many countries Mother’s Day does not have a religious origin and so is not necessarily celebrated on the 4th Sunday of lent. In the USA for example it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May and is a day for celebrati ng and honouring mothers with no link to the church. 4. it’s original name is mothering Sunday Infl uenced by the USA it is becoming more widely known as ‘Mother’s Day’ in the UK these days, and celebrated in the same way as the US, but with it’s religious origin it was always known as Mothering Sunday traditi onally. 5. it has many different names They’re not widely used but Mothering Sunday (Laetare Sunday - the 4th Sunday in lent) is also known as Refreshment Sunday, Rose Sunday, Pudding-Pie Sunday, Simnel Sunday and the Sunday of the Five Loaves.