To ask why it is now Mother's Day

[AmazingGreatAunt]

instead of Mothering Sunday?
Is this a further sign of the secularising of the UK in general or just the assimilation of additional transatlantic habits?
I live in a European country that has a Mother's Day at the beginning of May, which has nothing to do with returning to your home church.

If people have read the thread, they should now know the origin of Mothering Sunday if they didn’t already. I think it’s a shame to call it Mother’s or Mothers’ Day because that’s a modern creation.

I think it’s preferable for people to understand the origins of celebrations even if the celebrations themselves change over time.

Should we start calling Christmas something along the lines of ‘Event to celebrate overspending, overeating and getting bladdered’ and Easter as ‘Event to indulge in stuffing as much chocolate down our throats as possible’ ?

OK, I exaggerate but, despite not being religious myself, I would like future generations to understand that Christmas is the Christian Church’s celebration of their God’s son and Easter, of his death. If they also understand the Christian and Pagan symbolism of various things all the better.

😅😅

So am I and it's always been referred to as Mothering Sunday by my now 90 year old mother! I have to get her a card with that on or else she looks like she's sucked a lemon!!

My granny and great aunt called it Mothering Sunday but they were born in Victorian times.

It's become Mothers' Day because of the constant Americanisation of everything that we do.

Mothering Sunday was traditionally the day when those 'in service' were given the Sunday off work to go home to visit their mothers. They may, or may not, have attended Church together.

I couldn't care less about the origin of "Mothering Sunday" - it has nothing whatsoever to do with mothers - it's about the church keeping its members in line.

Christianity took over and re-branded many pagan festivals so for once a religious day has been taken over and rebranded for mothers - yay!

Yes, I know the history of Mothering Sunday, Mothers’ Day and Christmas, Yule/Saturnalia. I have no problem with evolution but wouldn’t you prefer future generations to understand the origins/history ?

Well, possibly as you said couldn't care less about the origin of Mothering Sunday, maybe you don’t.

I think that’s a shame. Maybe I’m alone in liking to know why various things are celebrated rather than ‘just because it’s a random date’.

I’m 60 and have always called it Mother’s Day - although I do vaguely recall my mum explaining the origins to me at some point. I don’t know whether that was from her own upbringing or from general knowledge.

By all means ignore Mother’s Day if you’re not keen, but why do so many people on Mumsnet think ‘gift’ is synonymous with ‘plastic tat’?

Other gifts a) are available and b) make up the bulk of what most people buy for adults.

And yet on any thread even vaguely adjacent to any gift-buying occasion, someone always starts on about ‘It’s all just plastic tat that goes straight to landfill!!!’ It’s like they’re desperate to prove that giving gifts for any occasion is just indication of being A Bit Common and that nobody who buys gifts could possibly be buying, eg, a book or a nice bottle of wine.

Interesting thanks!

In the states it's in May and has no connection to lent.

My family have always said Mothering Sunday but we are church goers.

The further we get away from religion the better.

The most difficult thing about Mother’s Day is finding a card that isn’t nauseatingly twee and which would actually suit my very normal mother.

I imagine the Mothering Sunday brigade would love these sickeningly sweet cards, which is somewhat ironic considering they’re the ones who won’t be buying the cards.

Yes, they are two completely unrelated traditions! Like similar animals evolving on different continents.

One was a religious observance that slowly became secular, the other a secular national (then slowly international) mandated day to recognise the contribution of mothers.

In the USA women had Mother's Day six years before they got the vote.

Well I work in a school and wrote ‘ Morhers Day on. Sunday’ on my white board.
A lot of teens have asked about the origin of Mothers Day and most find it fascinating.
Many have thanked me for reminding them and we have talked about how to acknowledge the special person in their lives, whoever they see as their Mother figure.
A lot have said they can’t afford much in the way of a gift. So we talked about making it a special day. Giving up time and showing you care. Breakfast in bed, offers to do some chores, lots of hugs, telling that special person why you appreciate them etc. One lad showed me a poem, which made me well up. Another is giving the Bird box he made in DT. One pupil said she wont go on her phone and will do some gardening for their Gran, who looks after them. It has been a time to just think about giving something back - surely that is positive.

Why would you think that the Mothering Sunday brigade would like a sickening sweet card?
In my head it's always Mothering Sunday, but I did go to Sunday school. I grew up in a Catholic area of Liverpool in the 70s. The average family size was 6 children, the Mothers more than deserved a day of recognition. There was nothing twee about their lives.

It was always Mothering Sunday in our family. We weren't churchgoers.

For the same reason shrove Tuesday is now ‘pancake day’. Soon Easter Sunday will be chocolate egg day. St Valentine’s is now just valentines. The religion is parked (not a bad thing as I’m an atheist). But don’t participate if you don’t understand the origin.

My mum (76yrs) went to a christian boarding school at 11yrs old and it was drummed in to her it was mothering sunday and about the church. Her and her siblings were at different boarding schools (girls at private and the boy at public) so doubtful my grandparents even saw her on Mother's day, so the distance in description is probably helpful.
My son and I are going to have lunch with her tomorrow and have brought her mothers day cards but I don't think she really enjoys mothers day.

It's really not a modern creation. My grandmother who would have turned 106 this year always referred to it as mother's day.

I’ve always referred to it as mothers’ day but known that it’s correct name is Mothering Sunday.

I am 37 and always called it mothers day. I don't think I ever heard my mum or nan refer to it as anything other than that either!

I celebrate pancake day because we like pancakes. Who are you to tell me I carnt? Oh and it's been pancake day all my life, I'm early 50s. My parents call it pancake as well.

Had no idea this was related to religion and I’m in my 50s. Thanks for the flag, I’ll be grateful if that comes up in a pub quiz.

I’m in my late 40s and I’ve never described it as Mothering Sunday.

I’m in my 50s and it’s always been Mothers Day