Mother's Day in Australia
Internationally, Mother’s Day or versions of it, is celebrated around the world in many countries and within many different cultures. Holistically, it embodies the celebration of all things maternal, mothering, and nurturing. In Australia, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May each year.
In many very old and ancient cultures Mother’s Day is celebrated with festivals and rituals that date back many hundreds if not thousands of years. These are not associated with the modern form of celebrating Mother’s Day.
It is believed that the first modern Mother’s Day was held in America in the early 1900’s, and from research undertaken, it is thought to have been the brainchild of a woman in the US who felt that mothers were not given enough recognition for their devotion and so decided to advocate for the celebration of the mother on one special day of the year.
Unfortunately it was not long before the commercial businesses of the time saw a wonderful profit making opportunity and I guess the rest is history. Modern day celebrations are all about gifts and the materialistic side of the celebration tends to overpower the original thought of recognition of devotion of mothers the world over.
In Australia the tradition of recognising Mothers is said to have commenced in the 1920’s and has continued to present day. In Australia the chrysanthemum is the traditional flower of Mother’s Day and is found in the supermarkets and businesses over the weekend of celebrations.
Traditionally in Australia, families gather for celebration by enjoying a large feast together and then sharing of gifts for mothers. Some families take their mothers out for a meal, to give her a break from the kitchen. But as in most countries around the world, melded families are more common than not, so celebrations take on a whole new level or organisation and deliberation.
In modern times, the day has become the catalyst for raising much needed funds for charities and organisations that support women, especially women’s health and across the length and breadth of the nation Mother’s Day fun runs and events are held. Funds are raised for Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer and many of the other cancers suffered particularly by women.
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