Mother's Day

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ln Britain fourth Sunday of Lent was called Mothering Sunday. Centuries ago, people visited their ‘mother' church in their town or village on this day. Later, when young people started to leave home to work, and live farther away, they had a day's holiday once a year to visit their mother and the mother church. They took presents like flowers, cake home to their mothers. Slowly, Mothering Sunday changed to Mother’s Day – a special day for mothers.

During the Second World War (1939 1945), many American soldiers in Britain stayed with British families and gave their British “mothers” presents on Mothering Sunday.

But in the USA Mother's Day is on a different day.

An American woman called Anna Jarvis had a special service in her church to remember her mother when she died. She wanted to have a special day for mothers and many people agreed that it would be a good thing. Anna’s mother died on the second Sunday in May, and Anna wanted that day to be Mother's Day. She talked to business people and people in the government about her plan for a special day all over the USA. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson said that the second Sunday of May would be Mother's Day across the USA. It is also that day in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Children try to do things to say 'thank you’ to their mothers on that day; they give them breakfast in bed, or take them out for a meal, or give them a present.