Unusual Gift Ideas And The Origin of Mother's Day

Umama, Anne, Haha, Eh-nehn, Mataji, Aiti, O-mo-ni and of course, Die Mutter. These are not the words of some mystical incantation, but rather, different ways of saying mother: in Zulu, Turkish, Japanese, Chipewyan, Hindi, Finnish, Korean and German, in that order. With Mother's Day just around the corner, Moeders (Dutch) all over the world can look forward to a day of rest, pampering and appreciation for this year's worth of hard work and endless patience.

If there is one day each year when having a dozen kids might pay off it is the second Sunday of May. On May 9th, 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution that allowed for the National holiday, "Mother's day," to be observed the following year, in 1915. In the U.S the first suggestion to set aside a day for mothers came in the 1860's by Julia Ward Howe, a writer, lecturer and reformer who had been the first president of the new England's Women's suffrage association and who also wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," a war song of the Union forces during the civil war. Her cause was later taken up by Fred Hering of Indiana in 1904 and a few years later by Anna Jarvis who is considered the founder of the holiday. She chose the second Sunday in May as the date and was the first to wear the carnation as the symbol of Mother's day.

This holiday has some international and historical equivalents as well. Similar was Mothering Sunday in the UK which came on the fourth Sunday in Lent, three weeks before Easter. Many believe It originated in the 16th century when many Christians would visit their mother's church each year, and thereby reunite the family. Others believe the holiday has its roots in more ancient traditions. The Greeks had a festival dedicated to Cybele, a great mother goddess or mountain mother (a kind of mother earth). The Romans had a celebration as well, called Hilaria, which was dedicated to Cybele.

Today many countries celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May just like the North American model while other nations hold it on March 8th which is also International Women's Day.Others yet again follow traditional dates that vary greatly. In Thailand, Mother's Day falls on the 12th of August where they celebrate their Queen Sirikit's birth anniversary. Mongolia celebrates a mother and child day June 1st, Costa Rica and Belgium strangely enough celebrate mother's day on a common date, August 15th (the Assumption of Mary).

Although the dates might be very different worldwide, the sentiment is the same: "love and appreciation for mom" and the common quandary of what to do and what gifts to give are similar everywhere. Do remember, presents are great but your presence is probably even more important, so if you can spend the day with your mother you should try to do so. If you are in the city there are lots of great ways to spend the day: a trip to an art gallery or museum, the theatre, ballet, or concert hall are all terrific ways to spend the day. If the weather is fine, a stroll through the park or even a trip to a nearby lake can make for a memorable day.

If you are looking for something a little different, a visit to a butterfly garden with live butterflies is a great idea.These are relatively new kinds of of exhibits but they are gaining popularity and there is a good chance there is one near you. The admission prices are usually reasonable as well. A day in a tropical garden with these beautiful creatures is both exhilarating and therapeutic. These exhibits make terrific places to pick up interesting and unusual gifts for Mother's Day.Fascinating books about the life cycle of butterflies or about how to create gardens that attract butterflies are popular. Among unusual gift ideas gorgeous butterfly art is a great fit for all kinds of occasions. They come with one mounted butterfly or several butterflies arranged in exotic butterfly designs that are truly stunning. The butterfly artwork makes for a great green gift too since the butterflies are never harmed and butterfly collecting actually helps save critical rain forest habitat.

If you still can't come up with plan or a gift, maybe ask the lady of the day herself what she wants to do or would like as a gift. I found out that mother's are not only wonderful but they are telepathic as well .When I asked my 90 year old mom what she wanted to do for Mother's Day her wish was go to the thoroughbred races, then catch the hockey game… that is exactly what I was thinking ! Love you Mom.

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