Frans H. Said
Fifty years ago, in 1961, the second Sunday in May fell on the 14th of the month. Four days earlier I had mentioned, for the first time in Malta, the celebration of "Mother's Day". I had not been aware of the importance of this particular day till Father Charles Vella brought my attention to the fact that in Italy a day had been dedicated to honour mothers and mothering since 1957.
I was intrigued by such a beautiful idea and with Father Charles' cooperation I had dedicated one children's programme to mothers in which I encouraged children to say "Thank you" to their mothers. That special programme was aired on Wednesday 10 May.
Mother's Day, honouring mothers and motherhood, is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world. While in many parts of the world (including Malta and Italy) this is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, in the UK and Ireland, it follows the old traditions of Mothering Sunday and is celebrated in March/April.
Historical antecedents
It is thought that this day dates back to the custom of mother worship in ancient Greece and the festival of Cybele, the Mother Goddess. The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, which was dedicated to Juno, and mothers were usually given gifts on that day.
In Europe there were several long-standing traditions where a specific Sunday was set aside to honour motherhood and mothers. Mothering Sunday celebrations are part of the liturgical calendar in several Christian denominations, including Anglicans, and in the Catholic calendar is marked as Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent, to honour the Virgin Mary and the "mother" church. Children and young people who were "in service" (servants in rich households) were given a day off on that date so they could visit their families. The children (young and old) would pick wild flowers on the way to give them to their mothers as gifts.
The modern festival
The first call to celebrate Mother's Day was made in the United States following the "Mother's Day proclamation" by Julia Ward Howe. Written in 1870, it was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The proclamation was tied to Howe's belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level. Eventually, International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time on 28 February 1909, by which time Anna Jarvis had already begun her national campaign in the US. International Women's Day is now celebrated in many countries on 8 March. Thus the two celebrations of Women's Day and Mother's Day have become distinctive and separate celebrations.
Dates around the world
As other countries and cultures adopted the US holiday, the date was changed to fit already existing celebrations honouring motherhood, like Mothering Sunday in the UK or the Orthodox celebration of Jesus in the temple by Greece. In some countries it was changed to dates that were significant to the majority religion, such as the Virgin Mary day in Catholic countries, or the birthday of the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad in Islamic countries. Other countries changed it to historical dates, like Bolivia using the date of a certain battle in which women participated.
International history and traditions
In most countries, Mother's Day is a recent observance derived from the holiday as it evolved in America. When it was adopted by other countries and cultures, it was given different meanings associated to different events (religious, historical or legendary), and celebrated on a different date or dates.
Some countries already had existing celebrations honouring motherhood, and their celebrations adopted several characteristics of the US holiday, like giving carnations and other presents to one's mother. It is not possible in such a short article to mention each particular country, but I want to highlight some of them and their background.
Religion
While in the Catholic Church the holiday is strongly associated with the Virgin Mary, in Hindu tradition it is called "Mata Tirtha Aunshi" or "Mother Pilgrimage Fortnight", and is celebrated on the day of the new moon in the month of Baisakh, i.e. April/May. It pre-dates the creation of the Western-inspired holiday by at least a few centuries. Some Islamic scholars are averse to what they see as a Western tradition and have published fatwas against dedicating a single day to honour mothers, as it detracts from honouring them year round.
Celebrations in many countries
Janet Heyde started the tradition of giving a gift to mothers on Mother's Day in Australia in 1924. She began the tradition during a visit to a patient at the Newington State Home for Women, where she met many lonely and forgotten mothers. To cheer them up, she rounded up support from local schoolchildren and businesses to donate and bring gifts to the women. Every year thereafter, Janet raised more support from local businesses and even the local mayor. It didn't take long for the day to become commercialized as it is to this day.
Even in China, a country that is against modern western ideas, Mother's Day is becoming more popular, and carnations are a very popular gift and the flower most sold. In 1997 it was set as the day to help poor mothers, especially those in rural areas such as China's western region. In the Chinese government's official newspaper, an article explained that "despite originating in the United States, people in China take the holiday with no hesitance because it goes in line with the country's traditional ethics - respect to the elderly and filial piety to parents".
It is not surprising that in Germany this day had been turned to practical use and used for propaganda purposes. In the 1920s, Germany had the lowest birth rate in Europe, and still declining. It was attributed to women's participation in the labour market. At the same time, all influential groups in society (politicians of both the Left and the Right, churchwomen and feminists) thought that mothers should be honoured, but they couldn't agree on how to do it. All those groups agreed with the promotion of the values of motherhood. This resulted in the unanimous adoption in 1923 of the Muttertag, the Mother's Day holiday as celebrated in America and Norway. The holiday was then seen as a means to get the women to bear more children, and nationalists saw it as a way of rejuvenating the nation. With the Nazi party in power during 1933-1945, this changed radically. The Nazis used it as propaganda the moment they came to power. The role of mothers was promoted as that of giving healthy sons to the German nation. The Nazis quickly declared Mother's Day an official holiday
Since having fewer children had been a recent development, the gold cross was awarded mostly to elderly mothers with grown-up children. It promoted loyalty among German women and it was a popular award even if it had little material reward and it was mostly empty praise.
Each country has its particular day
Although the second Sunday in May seems to be the most popular day for celebrating Mother's Day, with no less than 90 countries choosing this particular day, other countries have dedicated different days throughout the year. For example, the United Kingdom together with Ireland and Nigeria has stuck to the fourth Sunday in Lent, which this year fell on 3 April. Other months include February, March, June, August, October, November and December. Three countries, namely Israel, Nepal and Iran set the date according to the Lunar Calendar. Very few, if any, countries do not celebrate Mother's Day.
Italy
Mother's Day in Italy was celebrated for the first time on 12 May 1957 in the city of Assisi, thanks to the initiative of Rev. Otello Migliosi, parish priest of the Tordibetto church. This means that Italy was one of the last countries to introduce this tradition. The celebration in Assisi was so successful that the following year it was adopted throughout Italy. At that time television was still in its infancy and radio services gave great prominence to this commemoration. It was customary to hear the famous song "Mamma" sung by Beniamino Gigli played throughout the day.
Malta
As stated earlier, I have the honour to claim that I introduced "Jum l-Omm" to Malta in 1961 in a children's programme. By 1962 many other programmes, including the daily one for housewives presented by Carmen Carbonaro, took over and in no time at all the Maltese became keen supporters of this celebration.
Although we now celebrate many specific dates, including Father's Day, Mother's Day has enjoyed a special position in the yearly calendar of events. Even with in today's modern world, mothers still enjoy a special position within the family and, like many other peoples around the world, the Maltese have and show great love to their mothers.