When you own a business, it's important that you make the most of every holiday, whether that be Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter or even Mothers Day. By making the most of each holiday you can ensure that your marketing strategy is relevant and going to be as effective as possible. Mothering Sunday is an important event in the Christian calendar, but 'Mothers Day' is also celebrated by many mothers across the world, across many different religions.
Put simply, Mothers Day celebrates mothers and motherhood in society. Whilst people celebrate it across the world, it is often celebrated on different days depending on the countries culture. The day is celebrated across the world for a number of different reasons. It's important to note that there is a difference between 'Mothers Day' and 'Mothering Sunday', which we have highlighted below.
Mothering Sunday first originated in the sixteenth century as part of the Christian religion. This involved people visiting their 'Mother Church' for a service that was held on Laetare Sunday. The 'Mother Church' would generally be the nearest large church or cathedral. On Mothering Sunday, domestic servants were given the day off to visit the church with their mothers and other family members. It was considered to be the only time of the year that the whole family could gather together to visit the church, as other occasions would conflict with working hours.
On Mothering Sunday, children would traditionally pick wildflowers on their way to the church which would be given to their mothers. This is what started the tradition of giving gifts on Mother's Day. Gifts now can include flowers as well as smellies and other 'home-made gifts'.
The modern Mothers Day, which is celebrated by many different religions, is believed to have originated from the United States. The day was first celebrated in 1908 by Anna Jarvis, who worked every year to make Mothers Day a recognised holiday in the United States. She had success in 1914 but was believed to have been disappointed with its commercialisation in the United States of America. By the 1920s the holiday started to branch out across Europe and the tradition of Mothering Sunday and Mothers Day has been very strong. UK based retailers had also recognised the commercial opportunity in Mothers Day and by the 1950s the day was celebrated across the whole of the UK.
How will you be celebrating Mother's Day this year? Have you invested in branded gifts for your customers?