Mark your calendars - 22nd March is Mother’s Day in the UK! A celebration of motherhood, it’s an opportunity to say a big “Thank You” to our own mums, as well as recognise other mothers out there doing a terrific job, facing challenges - or both. With that in mind, we’ve been busy transforming reams and reams of up-cycled paper into one of our loveliest collections yet. A surefire hit this Mother’s Day, by giving paper flowers from Page & Bloom you’re also supporting women rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse.
Read on to find out more about our gorgeous Mother’s Day paper flowers - and before that, discover the fascinating history behind this annual celebration.
When is Mother’s Day?
It may be celebrated worldwide - but that’s not to say all countries mark Mother’s Day on the same date! That’s because despite a shared focus on mums and motherhood, the festival is also tied to local traditions. In Thailand, for example, it falls on 12th August, which is the birthday of Queen Mother Sirikit. Bolivians mark 27th May to commemorate female fighters during the country’s 19th century War of Independence; and elsewhere still, it’s celebrated on 8th March, or International Women’s Day.
In the UK, Mother’s Day falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Why? Well, surprisingly given its secular nature of today, this special celebration can be traced back to a 16th century religious tradition of visiting one’s ‘Mother Church’ and giving thanks to Mary, mother of Christ. Employers would release servants and apprentices from service to rejoin their families for the day - or go “a-mothering,” as the practice was known. Over time, the day became a much-anticipated family reunion, with a particular focus on mothers.
Mother’s Day, Stateside
By the turn of the 20th century, the UK tradition was dying out. In the US, however, the events that would lead to Mother’s Day as it is today were beginning to unfold… albeit on a completely different date, and for entirely different reasons.
On Sunday 10th May, 1908, a woman named Anna Jarvis organised a church service in memory of her late mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, and all mothers. An activist and proponent for a celebration of mothers during her lifetime, Ann organised regular ‘Mother’s Day Work Clubs’ to improve public health in the local community, and later, provide aid to soldiers of both sides during the American Civil War.
On the day of the memorial, Anna sent all attendees a single white carnation: her mother’s favourite flower, it was a token of love, thanks, and remembrance. Encouraged by the public response to what subsequently became an annual commemoration, Anna petitioned to make the second Sunday in May an official US holiday. Six years later in 1914, President Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day.
Spreading the Mother’s Day Message
In a sad twist, Anna Jarvis quickly became unhappy with what she saw as the commercialisation of Mother’s Day. Neither history, however, or public opinion were on her side: in particular, the First World War drove an embracing of Mother’s Day among US soldiers, for whom the celebration marked a day to tell their mums just how much they love them - and for bereaved mums to mourn their sons.
By the Second World War, word of the festival had reached the UK. Driven in part by British troops fighting alongside US allies, as well as a campaign instigated by one Constance Penswick-Smith in 1920, the fourth Sunday of Lent was revived, repurposed, and firmly reinstated on our calendars as UK Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day with Page & Bloom
Wherever you are, at its heart, Mother’s Day is all about saying thank you to our mums. The hands-down best way to do that is to tell her, show her, and remember her. For a gift that says just how much you care, our gorgeous Mother’s Day paper flower collection features the quintessential blooms of Spring - think paper daffodils, lilies and roses aplenty! - each expertly handcrafted by a very special team. As a social enterprise, we support women rebuilding their lives after domestic violence through employment, working closely with a number of UK domestic abuse charities and women's refuges.
This Mother’s Day, delight mum with a beautiful bouquet of sustainable paper flowers from Page & Bloom - and support mothers and daughters to turn their lives around.
Check out our Mother's Day paper flower collection here.