Among all-Russian holidays, Mother's Day is marked by a special spiritual atmosphere, warmth and tenderness addressed to the woman who gave birth to a new person. Mothers accept congratulations on this day with wishes of health and long life. Let's figure out where the holiday came from and what date it falls on in the current and subsequent years.
history of the holiday
Motherhood was elevated to a cult back in Ancient Greece. Worship of female nature and the ability to bear children are the essence of the rites and rituals of ancient times. Persephone, Rhea, Cybele - goddesses who personified the beginning of all life on earth. They were glorified, sacrifices were made to them, intercession and help were asked from them.
Having traced the history of the emergence of Mother's Day, which is celebrated in modern Russia, it is worth mentioning the significant event of December 1, 1915. On this day, for the first time in our state, a holiday dedicated to women who give life was celebrated. This event took place in Petrograd. The Scout Congress, on the initiative of the movement's leader, Ragnar Fernberg, decided to annually hold festive events glorifying the woman-mother. After 11 years, due to changes in the country and the dissolution of the organization, the holiday was no longer celebrated. The tradition was revived only in 1991. Many scout associations still celebrate a holiday on the first day of winter in memory of R. Fernberg.
The history of the formation of a significant day for women is inextricably linked with the name of Elmira Huseynova, who taught Russian language and literature in one of the Baku schools. At her suggestion, at the end of October 1988, a holiday was organized in honor of the mothers, at which warm words of gratitude and recognition were addressed to them. The initiative, which was written about by union publications, was taken up by many educational institutions in Azerbaijan, and then throughout the country.
The holiday became official in 1998. The proposal to revive the traditions of honoring women and mothers belongs to A. V. Aparina, a deputy of the State Duma. The Committee for Family Affairs supported the initiative, and by decree of President Boris Yeltsin. Mother's Day has received official status.
Story
Since 1988, thanks to the proposal of the Committee on the Rights of Women, Family and Youth of the State Duma, this holiday appeared in our country. Mother's Day was adopted by a decree of Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
This is interesting:
- Tribute to the hard work of mothers has been paid since ancient times, where mother cults existed. This served as the basis for the modern celebration. In Ancient Greece, the mother of all gods, Gaia, was revered, while the Romans revered Cybele.
- During the Middle Ages, the role of the mother was highly respected. This is how Mothering Sunday was held in Great Britain, on which children who worked away from their parents were allowed to visit their family, which happened once a year.
- In the USA, the appearance of this holiday is associated with the death of Mary Jarvis, which greatly influenced her daughter. After her mother's death, she wrote to the Senate proposing the introduction of an official Mother's Day, and it was formally recognized in 1910.
Day dedicated to mothers is considered international, despite the fact that in all countries (and there are more than 23 of them), it takes place on different dates.
The first holiday, called “Mother's Day,” took place in Baku. During the school holiday concert, Elmira Javadovna Guseinova, a teacher of Russian literature and language, suggested that the school students hold it annually. The proposal was picked up by many newspapers, as well as schools in Russia.
Although Mother's Day is a relatively new holiday for our country, despite this, it is respected and revered.
Traditions
The main goal of official events is to support and strengthen the prestige of a woman-mother and emphasize the importance of family values. Often, the date of the All-Russian holiday is marked with the presentation of state awards to mothers of many children, prizes and certificates for raising worthy young people.
Cultural institutions, schools and kindergartens host concerts, performances and matinees, at which words of gratitude are heard to mothers for their love, care and everyday work.
But home celebrations are marked with special warmth, when the whole family gathers around the table. The best gift to your beloved mother will be words of gratitude for the gift of life.
Symbol of Mother's Day in Russia
Forget-me-not - a modest sky-blue flower is a symbol of the Russian day of honoring women and mothers.
Folk memory preserves many legends about this plant. According to one of the legends, when the beautiful Flora came up with names for all the flowers that grew in the endless fields of Rus', she simply forgot about the inconspicuous blue flower. Noticing her mistake later, the goddess decided not only to give the “blue star” a name, but also to endow it with magical powers. Since then, it has been believed that the forget-me-not is capable of returning memory to those who, due to some circumstances, forget about loved ones.
Mother's Day: history, traditions, how they celebrate in Russia
History of Mother's Day
In the post-Soviet space, Mother's Day was first celebrated in Baku in 1988. The author of the idea was a teacher of Russian language and literature, Elmira Guseinova. In Russia, Mother's Day officially appeared in 1998 after the corresponding decree of the country's first president, Boris Yeltsin. The initiator was ex-State Duma deputy Alevtina Aparina.
However, people at all times have paid tribute to the role of mothers in society. Thus, even in ancient times there was a cult of the mother. In Ancient Greece, the Earth goddess Gaia was the mother of all gods; in Roman mythology, this role was played by the goddess Kybella.
During the Middle Ages, nothing changed, and mothers were still highly respected. In the UK, even such a thing as “Mothering Sunday” appeared. On this day, children who worked far from their parents were allowed to visit their families. True, this day was celebrated only once a year. “Mothering Sunday” was celebrated in England until the 19th century.
In the United States, the holiday was first promoted by pacifist Julia Ward Howe in 1872. In her opinion, this is a day when mothers should demonstrate their unity in the fight for world peace. However, few people supported her views at that moment. Mother's Day truly began to be celebrated in the United States after the death of a woman named Mary Jarvis. Her death affected her daughter Jarvis so much that she wrote to the Senate and proposed the establishment of Mother's Day. This holiday was officially recognized in 1910.
What do you usually do on Mother's Day?
Traditionally, on this day children give flowers to their mothers. In Australia and the USA, it is customary to pin carnations on clothes. In Russia, the symbol of Mother's Day is the forget-me-not. Since ancient times, people believed that this flower has magical properties and returns memory to people who have forgotten about their loved ones.
There are no special rules for celebrating Mother's Day. Young children usually draw cards for their mothers, adults say kind words to their mothers, and also give cute souvenirs. Some kindergartens and schools in Russia hold festive concerts on the eve of Mother's Day. Also on this day, local authorities celebrate the merits of mothers of many children, mothers-heroines. They are awarded certificates, medals or monetary rewards.
Flash mobs
With the development of social networks, Internet users began to hold flash mobs on Mother's Day. For example, in 2020, the hashtag #Mamaiyanadshapku gained popularity. People posted short videos where they congratulated mothers on the holiday and symbolically put on hats.
In 2020, Instagram users posted photos with mothers, accompanying their posts with the hashtag #thankyoumom.
The stars of Russian show business also treat Mother's Day with trepidation and on this day confess their love to their mothers and post photos with them.
“We are so different, and so close. Thank you, Mommy, for the fact that while you are next to me, I am still a daughter, and that no one else in the world will ask me with such concern: “Are you okay? I love you so much!" — TV presenter Yulia Menshova wrote on her Instagram in 2020.
Sergey Lazarev, Alsou, Anfisa Chekhova, Igor Nikolaev and many other artists also congratulated their mothers.
“My mommy! Happy Mother's Day! Be healthy and happy…” Lazarev signed the publication.
Mother's Day in different countries
It is difficult to name a country where they do not pay tribute to the woman who gives life. And although there is no single date for Mother’s Day among different nationalities, in fact it can rightfully be considered international.
- Most holidays dedicated to mothers fall in May. In the last month of spring, warm words of gratitude for kindness and care are spoken to residents of the USA and Cyprus, Japan and Denmark, Ukraine and Germany, the Philippines and Greece, Estonia and Malta.
- In March, mothers and grandmothers are celebrated in the UK, Egypt and Georgia.
- In autumn, festive events are held in Kazakhstan and Belarus.
- Mothers' Day in Serbia is usually celebrated in December.
Often the celebration of the international day dedicated to women and mothers is influenced by cultural traditions that have developed over the years and the realities of today.
- For example, in America, the carnation is considered the symbol of Mother's Day. It is customary to pin a white flower on clothing in memory of the deceased, and a red one as a sign of a living mother. The modern tradition of giving mothers a ring, the number of precious stones of which corresponds to the number of children born to the woman, is finding more and more fans.
- In Finland, mothers of many children and women raising children without parental care are awarded the Order of the White Rose.
- In Germany, it is customary to spend the holiday in a close family circle, bringing a dozen scarlet roses as a gift to your mother. A single white rose is considered a sign of memory of a mother who is no longer alive.
- In Cuba, a holiday is not complete without cheerful songs and fiery dances. And, despite the development of the Internet, many residents, according to a long-standing tradition, send postcards with good wishes by mail or personally hand them to their beloved mothers.
When is Mother's Day celebrated in Orthodoxy?
Initially, this holiday was dedicated to the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on October 14. Since 1998, it has been celebrated on the last Sunday of November every year. Services are held in churches in honor of the Mother of God, which are attended by true believers.
Mother's Day celebrations take place in a quiet and cozy atmosphere, without bright and magnificent celebrations. In kindergartens and schools, matinees are held in honor of mothers, where children prepare small and memorable gifts on their own: portraits in pencil or watercolors, appliqués made from colored paper and magazine clippings, as well as crafts from scrap materials.
As part of a small concert, children prepare a theatrical performance, poems and songs with dances dedicated to mothers.
At the city level, social services, together with the Russian Orthodox Church, conduct events dedicated to women and girls. Greeting cards and leaflets are distributed in public places with large crowds of people, and readings dedicated to motherhood and concerts with congratulations for mothers with many children are held on the territory of libraries and other entertainment complexes. All these events are aimed at showing the value and importance of women's work, which is difficult to measure and replace with something material.
Interesting Facts
- The youngest mother is Lina Medina, who lives in Peru. At the age of five and a half, she gave birth to a son. This happened in 1939.
- Rayo Devi Lohan, a resident of India, is the oldest mother. Having crossed the seventy-year mark, she gave birth to a daughter.
- Bobbi McCaughey (Iowa) was the first to give birth to seven babies who survived difficult births.
- The name of Fyodor Vasiliev entered Russian history thanks to his wife, who, as a result of 27 births, gave birth to 69 children.
- Miriam Nabatanzi, living in Uganda, had 36 children by the age of forty-four. Due to the innate characteristics of the body, she could break all records for the number of children born. If it weren’t for the surgical operation carried out at Miriam’s insistent request.
Mother's Day is a truly international holiday, the importance of which cannot be overestimated.
Everyone living, regardless of skin color, faith or nationality, is involved in it. And it doesn’t matter how old the child is—one year old or forty years old. All his life he will remember the one who bore and raised him, paying tribute to his mother’s work. Russian holidays
Congratulations on Mother's Day in prose
Congratulations on Mother's Day in prose below:
***
Mommy, today I want to create an atmosphere of celebration around you and congratulate you on your well-deserved holiday. In this world, there is nothing more valuable to me than your love and nothing more important than your heart. May higher powers always preserve that wonderful feeling that connects our souls.
***
Dear mom, I appreciate you endlessly and on this holiday I want to take the opportunity to tell you for the millionth time how much you are dear to me. I thank you for giving me life and making it as happy as I could. You brought out the best qualities in me and passed on your experience to me. I am grateful to you for the knowledge, the experience and the warmth that you invested brick by brick and continue to invest in me. I wish you endless, and most importantly, joyful years of life and gigantic human happiness that the world around you will bring you!
***
Dear, beloved mother, I congratulate you on the well-deserved holiday of all mothers and grandmothers, but we are still far from the second, so let’s move on to the first! You are the coolest mom I could ever ask for. I adore you and admire you as much as possible. I cannot express how much I have grown as a person thanks to you and your efforts. I want to wish you that little troubles do not become the cause of your bad mood, that your health never forces you to go to the hospital, that success and luck invariably follow on your heels, and that your huge, kind heart always beats only in a happy rhythm. I love you madly, your daughter.
***
Today I would like to express my gratitude to all, without exception, the mothers of our team. After all, you gave the greatest gift you can think of - you gave a person life. We congratulate you from the bottom of our hearts, we wish you a huge amount of strength and patience, that same notorious female happiness, no matter what concept you put into these words, only mutual love and home comfort: such that when you return home, you feel completely peaceful and satisfied. Thank you for the comfort that you give to us and your family, thank you for your affection, trepidation and care. We wish you to always and everywhere feel happy and welcome.
***
Mommy, I congratulate you on your professional holiday - the Day of all those who devoted their energies to raising children. I wish you titanic health, bright love, warmth, joy and a consistently positive mood. You are the most caring, the smartest, the most gentle and the best. Our whole family adores you and cannot imagine our future, present and past without you.
***
Is there anything in this world dearer to the heart than the love of a mother? Our dear women who decided to take such a responsible step - to carry a child in their womb, endure all the horrors of childbirth and endure sleepless nights at the crib. You deserve all the happiness in this world. On behalf of the entire team, we wish you that your children will truly appreciate the work that you put into them and will repay you with the same strong love and care as yours. I wish you good health, countless years of life filled with happy events, and endless pride in the achievements of your no longer children.
***
Being a mother is an unspeakable happiness, a gift that requires enormous dedication. May your eyes never know tears, may your hands never get tired from daily work, and may your heart never hurt from troubles. May you be surrounded by care and love, may the warmth that you send to the world around you return in increased volume.
***
The most sacred thing in our life is our mother. Her love is not subject to the influence of time or the influence of circumstances. She, like a real guardian angel, is always nearby, protects and helps in those situations in which, it would seem, nothing can be done. We are enveloped in her love from the moment of birth and it is the only love that does not grow weaker over the years. No matter how far we are from our home and no matter what path we choose, she will always be with us.
***
Mom is something without which it is impossible to imagine your life. Mom is affection and support concentrated in one person. This day is dedicated to you, mom. May sadness never penetrate your heart, may your eyes never cry, and may your tenderness never dry up. May every day bring you joy.
***
Dear Mom, I don’t know about others, but I believe that you are the best of all and are ready to fight with everyone who tries to challenge this fact. I am so glad that you, like no one else, are proud of my achievements, even if they are insignificant, and return me to the path of adequacy and common sense when I get upset because of failures. Be the happiest and most smiling mother in the world, may all your dreams come true, and I will do everything I can to help you with this.
