Mothering Sunday in UK

The equivalent of Mothers Day in other countries, is Mothering Sunday in UK. Since the 16th century is has been celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It always has been the day to thank our mothers for all the things they do for us.
Mothering Sunday will be on Sunday, March 2, 2008.

Many people do not know why Mothering Sunday is on different day each year. It is not on a fixed day, because it is in the middle Sunday in Lent. It is from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday.

Mothering Sunday is known also as Mid-Lent Sunday or Refreshment Sunday because, in honor of the story from the Bible “Feeding of the five thousand”, the fasting rules were relaxed.

Probably the idea of Mothering Sunday comes about four hundred years ago, when on this day the people who lived in small villages did not go to the local church but to the nearest big one which was called Mother Church. Some even went to the nearest cathedral. The cathedral is the “mother church” of all churches. Than people said that they have been “mothering”.

The youngers who were in service were allowed to go back to their homes only on this day each year. As a gift to their families, the housekeeper allowed them to prepare a cake. The most favorite one was called Simnel cake. It is a fruit cake which is decorated with eleven marzipan balls. The balls represent the twelve apostles but except Judas. He is the apostle who betrayed Christ. Mothering Sunday was called also Simnel Sunday in some areas in England because of this tradition. But it is still popular and many people prepare it.

Other traditional present that boys and girls brought to their families were the flowers ad most commonly they went back walking to their village and gathered them through the meadows.