BS: Mothers Day (UK)

Subject: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 26 Mar 17 - 10:44 AM

Our mothers have been dead for years and we have no kids so it was a surprise to SWMBO to get some flowers today- from someone she's mentored "for being a mother to me". What a nice thought. The world isn't all bad.
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Mar 17 - 12:52 PM

Aw, that's lovely Roger. And well-deserved I'm sure.
I have no children, and my mother died many years ago. But it was delightful to watch all the mums getting a small posy in church today. Even us ladies with no children were presented with one, so that we didn't feel left out.
My African mother-in-law is still alive, and we sent her a money transfer with Western Union. She bought herself a length of cloth to have made up into a nice new outfit to wear to weddings and so on.
Mothers are precious (fathers too!)

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: JHW
Date: 26 Mar 17 - 05:52 PM

Not just Mother's Day, its daft clocks day (uk) when we spend an hour changing all our clocks

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Mar 17 - 07:26 PM

Lost my mother in 2002, and my husband his some years later, so I do get pangs when you get all this advertising about Mothering Sunday or "Mothers' Day". But I did get very nicely treated by my 2 offspring, and as my daughter is a very good mother, I gave HER flowers and a card.
It's potentially an expensive month for the family, when in some years, my birthday, Mothers' day and Easter all fall within days of each other!

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: DMcG
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 03:37 AM

Late September is my expensive time

14: sister's birthday
15: son's wedding anniversary
16: nephew's birthday
17: both my and my daughter's birthday
30: my wedding anniversary.

Then there are friend's events to blend in as well...

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Jos
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 04:39 AM

Mothering Sunday always happens three weeks before Easter Sunday, so they are not really 'within days of each other'.

Mothers (or Mothers' or Mother's) Day happens in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in mid-May, so usually several weeks after Easter. I don't know who chooses the day - card manufacturers maybe.

I have heard that there are plans to fix the date (or at least the weekend) of Easter. Whether Mothering Sunday will be fixed along with it, who knows?

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: DMcG
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 04:44 AM

I seem to recall the UK Parliament passed an act in the 20s to fix the date of Easter. The only thing preventing it being enacted is all the rest of the world falling in line with the UK. Which is, of course, the problem with trying to fix the date.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 05:17 AM

I saw a piece that suggested the (US) woman who lobbied for it, then some years later, lobbied against it because of the commercialism.
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 06:35 AM

Like everything else, the occasion has become horribly commercialised. I'm not is a position to comment really, but I do feel a pretty hand-made card with childish handwriting inside expressing lots of love for mum, and perhaps some home-made cupcakes, would mean far more to me than expensive jewellery, loads of fuss and (what I strongly disagree with) this awful comparison with other mums and 'what they got and I didn't'.
Some of the bouquets in the supermarkets seem very expensive, £10 or even £20.
For adult offspring, I expect time spent visiting mum means a great deal to her.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 09:19 AM

My problem is that I don't know whether it's Mothers Day, Mothers' Day or Mother's Day.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Jos
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 10:25 AM

It's simple, Steve - it's Mothering Sunday.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Murpholly
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 11:35 AM

Motherering Sunday always used to be the nearest to 25th March, the annunciation of the B.V.M.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 11:42 AM

Our mothers have been dead for years and we have no kids so it was a surprise to SWMBO to get some flowers today- from someone she's mentored "for being a mother to me". What a nice thought. The world isn't all bad.
RtS

Someone else who uses SWMBO. Horace would be pleased, as he sips his glass of Chateau Thames Embankment.

Or do you go back further, to HRH?

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 12:14 PM

Motherering Sunday always used to be the nearest to 25th March, the annunciation of the B.V.M.
When was that?
Fourth Sunday in Lent has a longstanding connection. Although it is possible that the two sometimes coincide due to the shifting dates for Easter & Lent.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 12:48 PM

In reply to Jos, Easter sometimes falls in March. My birthday is March 13th: some years Mothering Sunday has been on the same day! How many days do you want? I'd say anything less than 28 is still "within days"!
Oh, and October used to be another bad month for the wallet: In-laws and twin sister-in-law and 2 nieces all had/have birthdays then, as well as a couple of wedding anniversaries and another more distant relation's birthday.

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Jos
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 02:00 PM

I have been searching the internet and, so far, have not found any account that agrees with the statement that it "always used to be the nearest to 25th March, the annunciation ...". There are several that point out that this year it happens to be the nearest to the feast of the Annunciation. It is bound to happen now and then.

I also found this:
"The French celebrate Mother's Day on the last Sunday in May, where a family dinner is the norm, and traditionally the mother being honoured is presented with a cake that looks like a bouquet of flowers."
and:
"Mother's Day in Spain is celebrated on December 8th. Spaniards pay tribute not only to their own mothers on this day, but also to the Virgin Mary. The day includes religious celebrations across the country."

Subject: RE: BS: Mothers Day (UK)
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 27 Mar 17 - 04:22 PM

Not more virginmarymania please!!! I thought the Argentines were bad enough believing all those fairytales!!!