Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although it’s often called “Mother’s Day” it has no connection with the American festival of that name.
Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.
Today it is a day when children give presents, flowers, and home made cards to their mothers.
History of Mothering Sunday
Most Sundays in the year churchgoers in England worship at their nearest parish or “daughter church”.
Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or “mother” church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their “mother” church, or the main church or Cathedral of the area.
Inevitably the return to the “mother” church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home for work once they were ten years old.)
And most historians think that it was the return to the “Mother” church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family.
As they walked along the country lanes, children would pick wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift.
Mothering Sunday falls on the following days in the following years…
Sunday March 26 2006
Sunday March 18 2007
Sunday March 02 2008
Sunday March 22 2009
Sunday March 14 2010
Sunday April 03 2011
Sunday March 18 2012
Sunday March 10 2013
Sunday March 30 2014
Sunday March 15 2015