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Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Robin Basselin.
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And I'm Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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"The heart of a mother is a very large and deep hole. At the bottom of it, you will always find forgiveness." -- Honoré de Balzac
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"A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all other people are not. It never fails." -- Helen Rice
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"Mother's love is peace. It need not be achieved, it need not be deserved." -- Erich Fromm
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This Sunday, people from over 70 countries around the world will celebrate Mother's Day. On this day, people honor their mothers. However, celebrating mothers is not a new idea. Today's Spotlight looks the meaning of Mother's Day celebrations throughout history and around the world.
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The earliest known celebration of mothers was in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians celebrated their goddess Isis each year with a special holiday. People believed that Isis was the Mother of the pharaohs, the Egyptian leaders.
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Later, in ancient Greece, people celebrated a similar holiday. On the first day of spring, the Greeks celebrated their goddess of Motherhood, named Rhea. People offered fine food, drink and flowers to honor Rhea. In the same way, ancient Romans also later celebrated their goddess of Motherhood. These holidays did not celebrate individual mothers -- as many Mother's Day celebrations do today. Instead, they celebrated mother goddesses, birth and the new life of spring.
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Much later in history, during the 1600s, people in England began to celebrate Mothering Sunday. Like the celebrations in ancient Egypt and Greece, Mothering Sunday has a religious history. It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of the Christian season of Lent - usually in March. Originally, the holiday did not celebrate human mothers. The holiday was started for people who worked and lived away from their homes and families. Mothering Sunday was a time for these people to return to their home villages. They would attend their "Mother" church one Sunday during Lent.
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Eating a special sweet treat, called a Simnel Cake, has become a Mothering Sunday tradition. However, over the centuries, Mothering Sunday has become less connected with the Church. Instead, it has become more about celebrating mothers. Today, children give their mothers cards, flowers and other presents.
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Within the last 60 years, many Middle Eastern countries have also begun officially celebrating Mother's Day. Mother's Day in the Middle East began in Egypt in 1956. The idea for the holiday belonged to two news reporters, Mostafa and Ali Amin. Mostafa and Ali were influenced by stories of mothers. These mothers had sacrificed much for their families. They believed that many mothers, and their important work, were forgotten by their families. So they encouraged their news readers to support the establishment of Mother's Day. The readers chose to celebrate Mother's Day on March 21st, the first day of spring.
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Today, Mother's Day in the Middle East is a time for families to recognize the importance of mothers. Children often buy gifts for their mothers and other important women in their lives. Other countries, like Pakistan and Mexico, celebrate a similar kind of Mother's Day on May 10th.
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Today, most countries celebrate their Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. This holiday was originally established in 1914 in the United States. Like many other Mother's Day celebrations, people usually celebrate by giving their mothers gifts, flowers, food and cards. However, the original idea of this Mother's Day holiday was much different.
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The idea of this Mother's Day began in the US women's peace movement. This movement began after the United States' Civil War. The women in this movement desired peace. They united as mothers who did not want to lose any more sons or husbands to war. As early as 1870, women in the peace movement asked for an official Mother's Day for Peace. One woman named Julia Ward Howe gave a speech about the need for a Mother's Day of Peace. She said,
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"In the name of women and humanity, I ask that a group of women be appointed... They will encourage the joint work of different nationalities to settle international disputes and seek general interests of peace."
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However, it was not until many years after this speech that the US government officially recognized Mother's Day. During this time, a woman named Anna Jarvis worked to establish a Mother's Day holiday. She wanted a holiday that did not just honor mothers through buying gifts and spending money. She wanted a day for people to remember their mothers in meaningful ways. In fact, she worked so hard to establish a Mother's Day for a very particular reason. She wanted to honor the memory of her own mother - who worked for peace and a better society.
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In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson finally made Mother's Day an official holiday. However, it was made a holiday simply to celebrate the work of women in the home and family. This WAS a good reason to celebrate mothers. But, it was not the whole reason women like Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis wanted a Mother's Day.
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By the end of Anna Jarvis' life, she became sad about how Mother's Day was celebrated. She did not like that Mother's Day had become about buying gifts and spending money. She had wanted a day of meaning - a day that honored mothers and their work for society.
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Today, people celebrate Mother's Day all over the world - at many different times of the year. For most people it has become a day about buying gifts and flowers for their mother. However, many women are encouraging people to look back at the original meaning of Mother's Day.
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One such person is Queen Noor of Jordan. Queen Noor is a mother and grandmother that works for social change. She wrote an article about Mother's Day for the CNN news organization. She encouraged people everywhere to re-claim a Mother's Day for Peace. Much like Julia Ward Howe, Queen Noor wrote about the important work mothers can do for peace,
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"Mothers prove every day, all over the world, that peace and security require working together and thinking about the needs of other people...Women often bring particular strengths, skills, and ideas for ending conflict and establishing freedom. They are willing to move across ethnic, religious, and group barriers, and peacefully do what is best for their families."
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How and when do you celebrate your Mother? What do you think Mother's Day should be about? If you celebrate Mother's Day this Sunday or any other day of the year, think about these powerful words from Queen Noor to all mothers,
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"So from one mother to many other mothers, let us be quiet no longer in the presence of war and violence. May all mothers and families around the world be blessed with a happy Mother's Day for Peace."
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The writer of this program was Robin Basselin. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can visit our website at http://www.radio.english.net. This program is called "Mother's Day for Peace." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!
