The little story of Mother's Day

Or when moms finally got a day to be idolized (and hope for cool gifts).

Ah, Mother's Day! That special day when our beloved moms are put on a pedestal and we are supposed to show them our love and gratitude in a vivid way. But do you really know the history of this celebration that is as joyful as it is stressful for children?

Let's travel back in time to ancient times, when the Greeks and Romans celebrated maternal deities. The Greeks paid homage to Rhea, the mother of the gods, while the Romans worshiped Cybele, the mother goddess. They held grand festivities to celebrate fertility and motherhood, and mothers were treated like true queens – divine queens, of course.

Then, in the Middle Ages, Mother's Day took a religious turn. The faithful dedicated the fourth Sunday of Lent to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Churches filled with devotees praying for their mothers' health and happiness, while children rushed to pick up their dirty socks before Mary came to inspect.

But it wasn't until the 19th century that Mother's Day began to resemble what we know today. A woman named Ann Reeves Jarvis played a key role in organizing "mothers' work clubs", where women gathered to exchange advice on raising children and how best to hide vegetables in The dishes.

After her death, her daughter Anna decided to create a special day to honor all mothers and managed to convince American authorities to make Mother's Day official in 1914. She may have received a medal for it, but Above all, she received thousands of thank you cards from stationers.

It took a political turn in France under the Pétain regime. Mother's Day was used as a tool of control to glorify mothers as pillars of the family and reinforce the idea of ​​submission and conformity. They received flowers carefully chosen to correspond to the political speech of the day. Mothers deserved more than a day of celebration manipulated to serve political interests.

After 1945, Mother's Day in France rediscovered its true essence: celebrating mothers without political ulterior motives. No more propaganda bouquets and controlled speeches. Children could finally offer flowers with sincere love and sweet words, without worrying about political connotations. Mother's Day has once again become a joyful occasion to express our gratitude to our extraordinary mothers, without any political interference.

By now, Mother's Day has spread across the globe, with each country choosing its own date to celebrate moms. It's a day when children rack their brains to find the perfect gift, often with the pressure of not making a mistake and not giving the same gift as last year. The florists are in turmoil, the chocolatiers are rubbing their hands and the makers of macaroni necklaces are also rubbing their hands, but for a completely different reason.

Whether you choose to give her gifts, cook her a meal, or simply express your feelings with sweet words, remember that it's the intention and sincere love that matters most.