Mothering Sunday

March 31st, 2009

Mothering Sunday is a Christian festival celebrated throughout Europe, which has now become synonymous with Mother’s Day.  When the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, they took over a pagan festival, and devoted the fourth Sunday in Lent to honour the Virgin Mary.  

During the sixteenth Century, on this day people who lived in villages started going to the ‘Mother Church’, usually the nearest cathedral.  Such people would say they had gone ‘a mothering’.  

It was often the only time that whole families could gather together due to the difficult working hours.  Domestic servants were only allowed one day to visit their families each year.  Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home to their mother.  These were called Simnel Cakes.  The word Simnel is probably derived from the Latin word ‘simila’ meaning fine wheat flour, from which the cakes were made. 

The Simnel Cake is a fruitcake covered with a flat layer of marzipan, and decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 Apostles minus Judas who betrayed Christ.  

Another tradition associated with Mothering Sunday is of posies of flowers being collected and distributed at the service originally to the mothers but latterly to all the women of the congregation.  

So here again today, we honour our mothers.  In an age when marriage and the family are de-valued and sidelined, we state again that family life and committed marriage relationships are God’s plan for our lives, for our good, for the good of our children, and for the good of society.  We honour the mums for the role they have played and are playing in the lives of their children. There will be a small bunch of daffodils for every mum and every lady as you leave this morning.  

David Thatcher
 

Filed under: Thought of the Week