The Story of Mothers' and Fathers' Days

      24/6/2020       Next-->

Father's Day in our house was raucous due to the fact that there is a four year old in the house. Normally a trip to the Egg Harbour Cafe would have been the Father's Day treat but because of Social Distancing, we celebrated Father's Day at home.

Mommy made Buttermilk Pancakes. Four Year old cooked up a storm on his own little stove and then 'helped' Mommy make pancakes in his tiny frying pan, all very tense over a proper gas stove!! Brunch 'Al Fresco' as the weather was perfect, followed by Tomato Cocktails for the Dads!!

Father's Day is a day of honouring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on March 19 as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In America, Father's Day was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd and celebrated on the third Sunday of June for the first time in 1910. It is held on various days in many parts of the world all throughout the year, often in the months of March, May and June. I believe in Australia it is in September.
Father's day complements similar celebrations honouring family members, such as Mother's Day, Siblings Day and Grandparents' Day, roll on Grandparent's Day!!

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.

During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the staff would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

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 as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organised Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.

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.

Some Motherly Advice...
Always wear clean underwear; you never know when you'll have an accident.
Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
Be careful or you'll put your eye out.
What if everyone jumped off a cliff Would you do it, too
You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes!
Close that door! Were you born in a barn
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!

M ... is for the million things she gave me,
O... means only that she's growing old,
T... is for the tears she shed to save me,
H... is for her heart of purest gold;
E... is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
R... means right, and right she'll always be.
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"



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