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.

I went to church this morning and my DC gave me some daffodils from the altar. The priest called it Mother's Day, and punctuated it like that in the church newsletter too.

Pancakes, I assume!

I’m also in my 60s and I always called it Mothering Sunday as a child and well into my twenties. I still do sometimes, though I usually refer to it as Mothers’ Day these days.

Yes, the UK is largely, to all intents and purposes, a secular state. A secular state is the best structure for supporting the rights and freedoms of all individuals, regardless of sex. The many encroaching threats to secular liberalism (including US imports of Christian nationalism) are a matter of huge concern to those of us who care about women’s rights. I hope that helps.

Mothering Sunday originates in the distant past. Children as young as 10 years old left home to work for the rich as servants. Once a year they were allowed to go home to visit their mother and father. They traditionally gave their mother a small gift of Spring flowers. It's great that we keep this tradition alive. It is worth remembering what it must have been like to leave your family and start your working life.

I'm 53 and lived in the UK my whole life and it's always been mother's day.

Im in my late 40s my mum always referred to it as Mothering Sunday. (We went to church every sunday as kids) She died 15 years ago but it was difficult even then to find a card with Mothering Sunday on it.
Ive not really heard it called Mothering Sunday for ages but maybe if I still went to church that would resonate more

As far as I understand it, in the past when many young people seeking work had to leave home and take work wherever they could find it, often/usually as servants (before the Industrial Revolution), Mothering Sunday was the one day of the year when young people in service were granted a day off work to return to their home to visit their mother & family. Possibly, the only day off in the year they ever got. This has been absorbed into the Anglican Church. Nowadays it has evolved to be called Mother's Day. Nothing wrong with that. Good to have one day of the year to give your mum some flowers.
The (inevitable) commercialisation of the day has made it a day of pressurisation and, for some people, a day of sadness - people who've lost their mum; people who had a bad relationship; people who never knew their mum; people who've never been a mum and feel that as a painful lack.
I think we need to be kind.

I've heard the term "Mothering Sunday", but I'm 57 and it's always been Mothers Day in my family.

Whatever

I’m 55 and have always heard the day referred to as Mother’s Day. Familiar with the term Mothering Sunday but haven’t heard anyone actually use it to describe the day.

I have never called it “Mothering Sunday”, nor had my mum, grandma, partners mum, friends mums etc etc. it’s “Mother’s Day” and always will be.

Most people aren’t religious. I’m atheist but I’m a mother and have had a super Mother’s Day. Why shouldn’t I?

I'm astounded at the lack of knowledge re Mothering Sunday. I'm 'only ' 49 but was always called this growing up. I'm not from a religious family either although attended a CofE primary school.

Never called it Mothering Sunday. For the majority of people today, it’s about mums and not a religious / church day.

The children come up and get them for their Mum’s first, then the children walk around handing them out to everyone including men. We just thought it was a nice thing to do and a few people said that they were going to put them in a vase in front of their mother/grandmother or put them up and think of those who are no longer here. Everyone seemed pleased to receive them.

I'm 48 and have always known it as Mothers Day.

• Origin: Historically, it was a day for people to return to their "mother church"—the main parish or cathedral—for a special service.
• Traditions: In the 17th century, it was a rare day off for domestic servants to visit their mothers and family. Today, it is a day for gifting, visiting mothers, and family feasting

Also born mid-60s and my mother was very firm about calling it Mothering Sunday!

I'm in my early 70's - it was always mothering sunday when I grew up in the North East. Yes we went to church where all the adult women present would be given a flower by the children, just a daffodil usually 😆.

No idea when that changed - but we were not brought up to give cards - my parents both reacted very strongly and negatively to the commercialisation. I've inherited that and never made a "thing" about the day with my own DC who are now adults.

No, Father’s Day is a hallmark holiday. The early origin of Mother’s Day was that you’d go to your ‘mother church’ which I think was the church in which you’d been baptised. I assume many women would have left home to live with their husband’s family and their church would have been in the next village along or something, so it was a day to return to your original church.

Mothering Sunday is a Christian religious festival.

Anything Christian is banned these days.

So it has been pushed to be secular. This opens up the totally invented Father's Day which is a made up commercial thing piggy backed onto Mother's Day.

I’m 36 and have never heard anyone except my grandparents’ generation call it Mothering Sunday. I’ve also never known anyone go to church on that day if they didn’t already go regularly.

To me, Mother’s Day has always been a completely secular event related solely to people’s actual mothers/mother figures.

It’s Mothering Sunday in our house, and in the church now.

Can’t say I can worked up about others calling it Mother’s Day.

I’m 38 and never heard of it being referred to as Mothering Sunday, it’s always been Mother’s Day 😂