This year Mothering Sunday falls on March 11, and at Hand Picked Hotels we have got plenty of treats that say ‘I Love You’ better than words ever could.
Mother’s Day, as we all know, is a chance for us to thank our mothers for all they do throughout the year. Celebrations can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honour of the mother goddesses, Rhea and Cybele, but most historians believe that the holiday evolved from the early Christian festival known as ‘Mothering Sunday’.
Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on Laetare Sunday – the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is when we celebrate it here, and was seen as a time when one would return to their ‘mother church’ for a special service.
The official observance of Mother’s Day in its present form is credited to Anna Jarvis. She wanted to honour the memory of her mother, Ann, who died in 1905, by continuing her good work. Concerned about sanitary conditions and especially contaminated milk, Ann created something called ‘Mother's Day Work Clubs’ to teach other mums how to care for their children and then after the Civil War she created ‘Mother's Friendship Day Picnics’ to unite those who were still identified as Union or Confederate loyalists across West Virginia.
Anna came up against some tough opposition – in fact the US Congress rejected the proposal on the grounds that they would have to recognise a ‘Mother-in-law's Day’, too. However, due to the campaign efforts of Anna appealing to newspapers and prominent politicians, by 1914 it became an official US holiday.
By the 1950s, the celebration became very popular in UK, thanks to companies who saw it as a great commercial opportunity. Ironically, some thirty years previously Anna, had tried to rescind Mother's Day on the basis the holiday had become misinterpreted and exploited, and that it was supposed to be about sentiment, not about profit.
While most of us love the romanticism of appreciating and honouring our mothers with handmade gifts and cards, realistically we don’t have the time with the busy, modern lives that we now live.
So, what better way to spoil mum than with a special Sunday lunch or afternoon tea in one of our drawing rooms or lounges at a Hand Picked Hotel and relax with all the family. Alternatively if you are stuck for Mother’s Day ideas, why not get her Hand Picked Hotels’ gift vouchers and she can choose to put it towards a hotel break or spa day. Whatever you decide, we can ensure that your mother’s visit will be one that she will cherish for a long time.
