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 believe that's what they call it in the US.

I tend to call it Mother's Day on here because that's usually what the OP has called it. But to me, it's really Mothering Sunday. Mother's Day has a completely different origin and falls in May, not March.

Everyday is a school day on Mumsnet. Never knew that and was brought up Catholic!

They call it Mother’s Day. Mothering Sunday is UK/Ireland but now commercialised and more commonly known as Mother’s Day due to US influence.

The feast of Christmas is simply the church re-branding the older Roman feast day of Sol Invictus/Unconquered Sun which had been celebrated from 274 A.D. until 336 A.D. and which itself replaced the festival of Saturnalia, which had been celebrated since 497 BC.

No-one actually knows when Christ was born with some researchers claiming it is likely he was born in Autumn and others in Spring due to references to sheep herding in the Bible.

I'd be quite happy to revert to celebrating the Winter Solstice as that is the true origin of the festivities in December.

I'd be quite happy to revert to celebrating the Winter Solstice as that is the true origin of the festivities in December.

There’s nothing stopping you.

I must say that I am surprised that people are questioning Mother’s Day, but not Father’s Day?

YANBU. I’m 40 and I still call it Mothering Sunday, but I’m in the minority I fear.

The day off for domestic servants a PP mentioned is the background to Graham Swift's very good (short) novel 'Mothering Sunday'. Highly recommend. A memorable book. (Apologies for the slight derail there.) And does anyone else still say 'Whitsun' sometimes 😁?

ditto for anyone quibbling about Mothering Sunday being outshone by Mother's Day.

Traditions aren't static, culture evolves.
Celebrations have the meaning that people give them.
Mother's Day has been Mother's Day at least since the 80s though and most people are not religious Christians.

I have a lovely step mum, who has never had any children, so I always send her a Mothering Sunday card. They are becoming harder and harder to find!

"Why on earth aren't people celebrating a Medieval religious day from a religion they don't follow" 🤔

I’m 42, born and bred in Britain, and was today years old when I found out that Mothering Sunday has religious roots, thanks to this thread.

We call it both in our family but have to say, never gone to church for it! This is the sad state of affairs when a lapsed Catholic marries a failed Methodist, and sends their daughter to a Church of England Sunday School.

I always thought it was just a day all about being nice to your mum!

Loved this. Maybe you should suggest to Tiffany's and other eateries that they do a special meal on Mother's Day for Mumsnetters.

They could call it Our Annual Special Mumsnet Day Celebration.

All celebration days, religious or otherwise were hijacked years ago by greedy commercial companies

They just getting worse every year.

Such is life.
🤑🤑🤑
Money, money, money
💰💰💰
It makes the world go round

Within reason, I don't mind how people celebrate or what they call the celebrations, I'd just like them to understand the origins.

I have no problem with evolution but I still think it's interesting and important to know about the past.

Why does it matters ? Same thing !!!

i’m a practicing christian but it was always called mother’s day where i am. And we never did the whole return to your mother’s church type thing although I suppose some members did to see their mums. It wasn’t until i was an adult i learned it was linked to lent in the uk which i don’t really practice either (not catholic)

I am 33 and have always gone to church. My family are catholic. We’ve always called it Mother’s Day

It's quite simple really.

Mothering Sunday = the actual original religious day, not very commercial and rather old fashioned.

Mother's Day = an opportunity to flog more crap and pressure people to spend money, conveniently situated between Valentine's Day and Easter so you don't have too much of a lull in profits.

It's a different day entirely, in May.

I couldn't agree more.

"Mothering Sunday" had nothing to do with mothers.
It was a reference to the "mother" church in which people had been baptized.

It started off as a day of rest from fasting half-way through Lent and became a day off work for domestic servants to return home to their "mother" church.

It fell into oblivion during the 18th century because working conditions improved for the average person.

It was revived/reinvented in the UK by Constance Penswick who was inspired by Anna Jarvis, the American woman who campaigned for a dedicated national day to celebrate mothers in the USA.

Mother's Day was officially established in the USA in 1914 by
President Woodrow Wilson and it falls on the second Sunday in May each year.

Lots of other countries adopted the US celebration of mothers:
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey and most European countries including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland and the Ukraine.

Mother's Day is also celebrated on the first Sunday in May in Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Lithuania.

Norway is an outlier as they celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in February (they already had too many national holidays in May and decided that it would be nice to have one in February instead).

My DC know that it’s Mothering Sunday - I have had cards before with “Happy Mother’s Day” crossed out, and “Mothering Sunday” written underneath, when they’ve had trouble finding them. This year, the cards all said Mothering Sunday. And twee the cards most certainly are not!

In the UK Father's Day was introduced after WWII. My Late DF, DFIL and my DH refuse/refused to acknowledge it. Mothering Sunday has existed since the Middle Ages!
Oh and we have always called it Mothering Sunday here.

My DF and FIL were the same.