What is Mothering Sunday?
Mothering Sunday in the UK is the equivalent of Mothers' Day in other countries.
What happens on Mothering Sunday in the UK?
Mothering Sunday is a time when children pay respect to their Mothers. Children often give their Mothers a gift and a card.Mothering Sunday church service
Many churches give the children in the congregation a little bunch of spring flowers to give to their Mothers as a thank you for all their care and love throughout the year.
When is Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day)?
Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) is always the fourth Sunday of Lent
| 18 March 2012 | 6 March 2016 |
| 10 March 2013 | 26 March 2017 |
| 30 March 2014 | 11 March 2018 |
| 15 March 2015 | 31 March 2019 |
Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day because it is always the middle Sunday in Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday). This means that Mother's Day in the UK will fall on different dates each year and sometimes even fall in different months.
Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent since at least the 16th century.
The History behind Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday', Pudding Pie Sunday (in Surrey, England) or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand', a story in the Christian Bible.
Roman Spring Festival
The more usual name was Mothering Sunday. No one is absolutely certain exactly how the name of Mothering Sunday began. However, one theory is that the celebration could have been adopted from a Roman Spring festival celebrating Cybele, their Mother Goddess.
Mother Church
As Christianity spread, this date was adopted by Christians. The epistle in the Book of Common Prayer for this Sunday refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as "the Mother of all us all", and this may have prompted the customs we still see today.
It is known on this date, about four hundred years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest big church (the Mother Church). The church in which each person was baptised.Cathedrals are the 'mother church' of all other churches in an area ('diocese'). Canterbury Cathedral is pictured below.
People who visited their mother church would say they had gone "a mothering."
Things a mum never says
Well, if Timmy's mum says it's OK, that's good enough for me.
How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?
Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too.
Just leave all the lights on. It makes the house look more cheery.
Let me smell that shirt. OK, it's good for another week.
Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I'll be glad to feed and walk him every day.
Don't bother wearing a jacket - the wind-chill is bound to improve.
Bedtime is just a general time to shoot for. It's not like I'm running a prison around here.
I don't have a tissue with me - just use your sleeve.
HELP
The school has ran dry! The jokes have run out. We are in desparate need of laughter. Please send Mr Britten your jokes. Think how much happier we all could be!
Puzzle of the week
What number should replace the question mark?
