Countdown to Mother's Day - Week 7

After taking a break last week, I am continuing with sharing several Mother's Day traditions from other countries in this week's post.  It's quite interesting (at least to me - inquiring minds!) to explore the history behind the establishment of Mother's Days, some with a religious or political bent and, unfortunately, quite a few, festivities that are commercially motivated.  Then of, course, I'll be sharing my picks from this week's Countdown to Mother's Day 2014 collection hosted by Julie and Blu of BlueMorningExpressions on their BluPrint blog.

Polymer clay pink flowers with green leaves coin beads handmade by Julie of BlueMorningExpressions

In Malta, the first mention of Mother's Day occurred during the Radio Children's Programmes run by Frans H. Said in May 1961.  Within a few years, Mother's Day became one of the most popular dates on the Maltese calendar.  The day is commemorated on the second Sunday in May.  Mothers are invariably given gifts and taken to lunch. 

In Brazil, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.  The first Mother's Day was promoted by Associacao Crist de MoCos de Porto Alegre (Young Men's Christian Association of Porto Alegre) on May 12, 1918. In 1932, then President Getulio Vargas made the second Sunday of May the official date for Mother's Day. In 1947, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, decided that Mother's Day would also be included in the official calendar of the Catholic Church.  It is typically observed by spending time with and giving gifts to mothers.

Red, white and garnet 20.5" bead crocheted necklace that can double as a wrapped bracelet handmade by Jigisha of jrpdesigns 

In China, Mother's Day is becoming more popular and is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.  In 1997 Mother's Day was set as the day to help poor mothers, especially those in rural areas.  In the People's Daily, the Chinese government's official newspaper, an article explained that "despite originating in the United States, people in China accept the holiday without hesitation because it is in line with the country's traditional ethics:  respect for the elderly and filial piety towards parents". Carnations are a very popular Mother's Day gift.

In Maldives, Mother's Day is celebrated the second Sunday of May.  Children give gifts and spend time with their mothers.  Daughters give their mothers cards and handmade gifts and son's give their mothers gifts and flowers.  There are also many special Mother's Day festivities for the family to attend.

In Kenya, until rather recently, there was no tradition of celebrating Mother's Day.  Today, however,  it has made its way onto the calendar and is celebrated the last Sunday of June.  Gift hampers, flowers and special spa services are offered, mostly in cities.  Many health agencies band together to send the message, "together we can make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all moms".

In Japan, Mother's Day was initially celebrated during the Showa period as the birthday of Empress Kōjun (mother of Emperor Akihito) on 6 March. In 1937, the first meeting of "Praise Mothers" was held on 8 May, and in 1949 Japanese society adopted the second Sunday of May as the official date.  Mothers are typically given gifts of flowers such as red carnations and roses.

I hope you enjoyed the short descriptions of how Mother's Day came about in some countries and how the day is celebrated.  Most of the above information came from Wikipedia's Mother's Day, along with several other web sites to flesh out some details and find countries that weren't mentioned.  

Shiny glacier blue lampwork opaque glass beads individually handmade by Charlotte of Covergirlsbeads