Mother’s Day is a holiday that is celebrated by people from all walks of life. Regardless of culture, race, or religion, Mother’s Day is a time to honor our first love – our mother. Amidst all the celebrating, exchanging of flowers, cards, and candy, is it not reasonable to ask about the origins of Mother’s Day and its true meaning? Well, let’s get started immediately in our investigation into the origins of Mother’s Day.
Most sources reveal that Mother’s Day originates in the worship of the “Queen of Heaven,” a title held by the mother goddesses of Babylonia, Greek, and Roman origin. In an online article, hosted by The Nazarite Site, entitled, Evil Holidays, we read:
“Mother’s Day dates back to ancient cultures in Greece and Rome. In both cultures, mother goddesses (Queen of Heaven). were worshipped during the springtime with religious festivals. The ancient Greeks paid tribute to the powerful goddess Rhea, the wife of Cronus, known as the Mother of the Gods (Queen of Heaven). Similarly, evidence of a three-day Roman festival in Mid-March called Hilaria, to honor the Roman goddess Magna Mater, or Great Mother, dates back to 250 BCE.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the celebration of the “Mother Church” replaced the pagan tradition of honoring mythological goddesses. The fourth Sunday in Lent (Weeping for Tammuz), a 40-day fasting period before Easter, became known as Mothering Sunday. To show appreciation for their mothers, they often brought gifts or a “mothering cake” (Jeremiah 7:18) and over time, it began to coincide with the celebration of the Mother Church.”
The Nazarite Site seems to be in agreement with what is found at History.com, under the topic of Mother’s Day, it states:
“Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”
Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation.”
Thus, we can say that the origin of Mother’s Day began with a religious premise, and specifically that of both Christian and pagan beginnings. Enjoy!
