Mother's Day - May 11, 2008

In Canada Mother's Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. It is a day when children honour their mothers with cards, gifts, and flowers.

It is generally believed that this special day for mothers was first observed in North America in 1907 in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. Julia Ward Howe (in 1872) and Anna Jarvis (in 1907) are credited as being the first to campagin for official recognition of the day.

Mother's Day, in various forms, has been celebrated worldwide for centuries. In ancient Greece Rhea, the Mother of the Gods was honoured and in India the Hindu deity Durga has been feted on a day of her own.

"Mothering Sunday" was observed in England, starting in the 1600s. It was celebrated on the fourth Sunday during Lent. Servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home on this day and honour their mothers. They would bring along a special cake along to celebrate the occasion.

Mother's Day is celebrated at different times during the year in different parts of the world. Some countries such as Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey and the USA celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, just as it is done in Canada.

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