Surprises for mom - heart-warming accessories!

One of the central figures in any family is a mother - she gives care, attention, and happiness to others, unites, promotes mutual understanding and conflict resolution, and creates an atmosphere of comfort and well-being. It is not surprising that a corresponding solemn date was introduced to honor this daily painstaking work. Our article will tell about the origin, symbols, and traditions of the celebration, as well as suggest ideas for original gifts, which you can view on the yantar.ua website and choose exactly what your mother will like!

How did the holiday appear?

The official history of Mother's Day began with the initiative of the American Anna Maria Jarvis (1864-1948). She had ten brothers and sisters, and from an early age she realized how her mother, Ann Maria, "selflessly served for the good of humanity in all spheres of life." But she was proud of all her daughter's achievements, zealously encouraging her to improve herself - this is how a girl from a small town in West Virginia (a state in the central-eastern part of the USA) graduated from the prestigious Mary Baldwin University of the Arts and became the first female literary agent and shareholder of a private firm.

Therefore, on May 10, 1908, 3 years after the death of Ann Maria, Anna organized a public memorial ceremony both in honor of her own grandmother and for other grateful children. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral in Grafton, where the action took place, was decorated with 500 white carnations (these flowers soon became the official emblem of the celebration), and the speech given by the activist was included in the gold fund of the oratory. By 1911, this holiday was already celebrated throughout America, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a decree declaring Mother's Day at the national level, setting its final date on the second Sunday of May. Currently, about 100 other countries follow this schedule, including Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Canada, China, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Ukraine.

However, some countries use other calendars. For example, in England, there is a so-called "Mothering Sunday". In the Middle Ages, on this day, which falls exactly in the middle of the Easter fast, Christians visited the church where they were baptized, and in the XVIII-XX centuries. the holiday also spread to ordinary women due to associations with the psalms read during the liturgy. Where Catholicism prevails, Mother's Day usually coincides with important milestones in the life of the Virgin Mary - Christmas (September 21), Assumption (December 4) or Assumption (August 28). In Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Vietnam, this date merges with March 8, when all women are honored. But in Bolivia, it is associated with a sacrificial struggle - because on May 27, 1812, when many regions of South America were trying to free themselves from the Spanish protectorate, brave Bolivian women from the city of Cochabamba stood up against the regular troops, armed with rifles, sticks and even frying pans, in order to protect their babies and old parents.

However, the true roots of the holiday go much deeper. In particular, even in antiquity, there was a cult of Cybele (she is Rhea in Rome, Kubab in Mesopotamia and Dindimena in Greece) - the great mother of the gods, who ruled over light and darkness, birth and death, war and peace, physical and otherworldly reality. According to legends, she personified the unstoppable force of nature, fertility, fertilization, and also the fury of a wild animal, which is why she was depicted surrounded by panthers and lions. In honor of the goddess, the Mysteries of Megalesia were held from April 4 to 12, requiring the participants to completely reject rationality and surrender to the innermost ecstatic desires.

How do you greet mom in different cultures?

Depending on when Mother's Day is celebrated in a particular area, it has unique regional features. And here are the most interesting of them:

• As mentioned above, the omen of this celebration is a bud of carnations, and varieties with red petals are attached to the clothes of those whose mother is still alive, and white ones embody longing for her who has passed away. Such a choice is not accidental, because in floristry this flower illustrates such personal qualities as reliability, stability, selflessness, warmth of heart, careful care of family members;
• Among other plants that are customary to give to mothers are violets (as a sign of the kindness, modesty, mercy and righteousness of the one who receives them), forget-me-nots (symbolize tenderness, eternal memory and gratitude for everything they have done for you), lilies (so that to emphasize sincerity, frankness, decency), roses or peonies (for a prosperous and cloudless future), as well as exotic pink orchids - they help to preserve femininity, grace and charm for a long time;
• A teddy bear is often added to the bouquet. Although the founder of the holiday considered it a commercialization of the original idea, such a thing has its own meaning - it hints at children's joy and unconditional love for mom;
• In Europe, the whole family tries to get together and arrange a day off for the nanny - the husband, children and other members of the household take care of cleaning, washing and cooking, while the woman rests with her friends, visits the theater, a restaurant or a spa salon;
• In Austria, Belgium and Great Britain, seasonal delicacies appear on the menu - cakes, pastries and ice cream with marzipan. These crushed almond and powdered sugar confections are associated with a carefree childhood made possible by maternal efforts;
• An unusual "greeting" was invented in Serbia - early in the morning, sons sneak up to a sleepy mother and tie her to the bed until she redeems herself with gifts hidden in advance under the pillow;
• In China, the most ardent supporters of Mother's Day are Confucian scholars and ethics lecturers - they argue that respect for previous generations lies at the foundation of traditional Eastern values. And the generalized prototype of all mothers is Meng Mu - the one who gave birth to Mengzi (a philosopher and thinker, the second most important after Confucius);
• Hindus dedicate the "Matatirtha Aunsi" festival (translated from Sanskrit as "pilgrimage to grandmother") to mothers. The women are treated to the most delicious dishes, and the men must perform a ritual bath in the pond, where, for good behavior during the previous year, they can see the reflection of their mother's face in the water;
• In Buddhism, respect for the mother is brought up by telling children a tale about the hero Maudgalyayana. When he reached nirvana, he began to search for his dead parents, and came across his mother in the realm of hungry ghosts. The young man tried to feed her rice, but it appeared to the woman as a burning coal. In the end, the boy found a solution: the dead could consume only the shadows of material products and objects, so the Ulambana holiday was established for them, which lasts for 2 weeks - during this period, believers burn on bonfires paper copies of banknotes with a denomination of one million, household appliances, furniture, clothes and everything else that, according to the descendants, the ancestors may need.

No matter how peculiar the actions listed above are, they are united by a burning desire to please their mother and thank her for her kindness, kindness, sensitivity and tolerance. And an appropriate expression of these feelings will be a surprise that will take into account the interests and preferences of your grandmother. Read on - and you will learn how to find just such a person.

How to choose the best gift for Mother's Day?

First of all, you should pay attention to the personal characteristics of the addressee. Living conditions, tastes, interests, nature of profession and hobbies, appearance and state of health - all this can become an excellent clue. Of course, careful analysis will require some time investment, but it will ensure that your contribution will be noticed and properly evaluated.

For example, a good option would be an ornament made of polished amber. Such precious stones have preserved their natural texture and have an almost rough, as if velvet-matte surface - both plain and covered with specks, lines, veins of a wide variety of shades. This effect occurs due to careful grinding with special files and pieces of sandpaper of different grain sizes, but the final polishing with chemical pastes based on chromium oxide, which provides a mirror shine, is omitted during this treatment.