MOTHER'S DAY
Now you are going to read something about the origins of this festival. The
earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring
celebrations of ancient Greece in honour of Rhea, the
Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called
"Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th
Sunday of Lent, (the 40 day period leading up to Easter) "Mothering
Sunday" honoured the mothers of England. As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honour the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration. People began honouring their mothers as well as the church. In
the United States Mother's Day was first suggested
in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of
the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. What can you remember from this text ? Can you try this QUIZ ?
'M'
is for the million things she gave me, 'MOTHER', A
word that means the world to me.
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