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M - O - T - H - E - R "M" is for the million things she gave me, |
The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor ofRhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter*), "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.
During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.
In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.
In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
CELEBRATING MOTHER'S DAY
One the best way to celebrate Mother's Day is to give your mom the day off. Let her take it easy and relax while the rest of the family does the work.
Many families begin Mother's Day with breakfast in bed. Usually Dad and the Kids will let mom sleep late as they go into the kitchen and prepare her favorite meal. A Mother's Day breakfast can consist of anything your mom likes.
After the food is cooked arrange everything nicely on a tray. Don't forget the vase with a single flower. With spring here, the children can pick a tulip or daffodil from the garden outside. When everything is ready carefully carry the tray and mom's favorite sections from the newspaper up to her bedroom. Cards and small presents from the children can be placed on the tray before it is presented to mom in bed.
Many Families make a special Mother's Day dinner or take mom out to her favorite restaurant for a meal. It is a good day to let your mom relax and let her see what a wonderful family she has.
CRAFT IDEAS
You Will Need:
Scratch paper
Rice paper or other absorbent paper
Lightweight cardboard
Thin, wire coat hanger
Block of wood
Clothespin
Pipe cleaner
Newspapers
Wax paper
Watercolors or acrylics
Floral tape
White glue
Pencil
Paint brush
Water pan
Scissors
Staple gun
Pliers
You can use your imagination to create a fantasy butterfly, as we did, or study photos of butterflies to learn how to make more realistic insects. Butterflies occur in a variety of shapes and colors, and their wings have beautiful markings. One thing they have in common, however, is the symmetry of their wings. That is, the size and shape of one side or half matches the other.
The easiest way to make sure that your butterfly will be symmetrical is to draw one-half of the insect on a folded piece of paper, with the body touching the fold. Keeping the paper closed, cut out the wings. Trace this shape on cardboard, and cut it out.
Our fantasy butterfly was made by first painting a wet-in-wet watercolor. Before starting, protect the table with a layer of newspapers, and place a sheet of wax paper on top. Put a piece of rice paper on top of the wax paper, and soak it with water. Paint the paper, letting the colors flow into each other. Be sure to use lots of paint, because watercolor tends to dry lighter than it appears as you work.
When the paper is dry, turn it face down, and trace the cardboard butterfly. Now lay the pattern on another area, trace it again, and add a margin of at least 1/2" all the way around the shape. Clip the margin at 1/2" intervals up to the traced shape. Put a thinned coating of glue on the pattern, and paste it to the wrong side of this paper. Now, one at a time, put glue on each tab and fold it over so that you cover the edge of the cardboard. Glue the other piece of painted paper to the bottom of the butterfly. Gently shape the wings while the cardboard and paper are damp.
To make the body, paint the clothespin black. When it's dry, make a hole in the underside with a drill or awl, and slide it over the wings. To keep it in place, pack the underside opening of the pin with small scraps of cardboard. Choose a dark colored pipe cleaner for the antennae. Fold it in half, and twist the center around the head of the clothespin to fasten it. Shape the antennae.
After the butterfly is finished, you're ready to attach it to the base with the coat hanger. Decide how tall you want the mobile to be, and use pliers to remove the hook portion and some additional length from the hanger. If you wish, cover the wire with floral tape, and bend it into a spiral or zigzag shape. Insert one end of the wire in the body, and staple the other end onto the block. Paint the wood a color which complements the butterfly, and if you wish, decorate the base with dried moss and flowers. Place the butterfly in a breezy area, and surprise your mom for Mother's Day!
If you'd like to make mom a special gift, you can recycle a small picture frame to make an attractive tray. It will be just the right size to keep small items organized on her vanity.
We'll make the tray by using papier mache, a technique in which strips of newspapers are pasted onto the frame. For centuries making paper was limited and expensive, so recycling the material to make new products was a practical application of papier mache. Today the craft is practiced worldwide, and it has been used to make everything from simple puppets and piggy banks to expensive boutique items and characters on parade floats.
You will need:
Used picture frame
Mat board
Newspapers
Wax paper
Felt
Rubber bands
Masking tape
White glue
Fabric glue
Wallpaper paste
Gesso
Acrylic paints
Paint brushes
Pans for paint and paste
Dowel rod scraps
Mat board scraps
Cotton swabs
Ruler
Scissors
Utility knife
Making a small tray is a great way to recycle an old or damaged picture frame. Since the entire frame will be covered, no one will notice the flaws. If you don't have a frame available, look for one at garage sales or try your local thrift store. If the glass is still in place, have an adult remove it and set it aside. Measure the rabbet or groove inside the frame, and cut pieces of mat board to fit. You'll need many pieces, because it will be necessary to fill the frame from front to back. Measure the back of the frame and cut one larger piece of mat board to cover it.
Glue all the smaller pieces of mat board together, and put rubber bands around them to hold them in place for a few minutes. Remove the bands, and glue the boards inside the frame where the glass would normally fit. If necessary, add more mat board to fill the frame. Finally, glue the larger sheet of mat board onto the back of the frame, and add some strips of masking tape all around to help hold it in place. Protect the table with newspapers, and work on a sheet of wax paper to prevent gluing your project to the newspapers.
Mix the wallpaper paste according to manufacturer's directions. Tear the newspaper into small squares or short strips, and begin pasting them to the tray form. Dip the paper into the mixture, and remove the extra paste by running the strip between your fingers and thumb. Apply one layer over the entire tray, front and back. When dry, apply a primer coat of gesso to the sides, top, and inside of the form. It's not necessary to prime the back, because it will be covered with felt.
Painting a design on the tray is the fun part of this activity. You can paint the entire form one color, and then apply surface decoration on top of this base coat. To make the tray more interesting, however, you might want to use several colors. Before you start, look at the form to see if there are any definite shapes or borders suggested by the picture frame beneath the paper surface. You can paint the large area in the center one color and paint the frame portion one or more colors, for example. Also, paint a small strip of color all around on the back of the tray to hide any paper which the felt may not cover.
After the base coat is dry, you're ready to apply the surface decoration to the entire frame. Rather than painting something realistic, consider using a design. It's easy to get ideas on good design elements by looking at patterns in printed fabric and paper such as those found in drapery and wallpaper. Another way is to study other cultures and use their painting techniques to inspire your work. Can you imagine painting without a brush? The aborigines of Australia have been painting beautiful dot designs with sticks for thousands of years!
You can try your hand at stick painting by using short lengths of dowel rods, cotton swabs, or similar materials. To begin, look at the tray to see if there are any "natural" shapes or borders that could be decorated by stick painting. Dip the stick into a color, and apply it to the tray. Repeat until this area is covered with a design. Another way to decorate the surface is to dip the edge of a small piece of mat board into paint and apply it to the form. When you've finished painting, set the tray aside to dry. Complete the project by attaching felt to the back with fabric glue.
Your picture framer may share used or damaged frames with you. He or she often has a supply on hand, because customers who bring work in for reframing don't want their old frames returned. Also the framer may donate odd scraps of mat board for your project.
You can substitute other heavy cardboard for mat board. A paper cutter is an ideal tool to use in cutting the material to the sizes you'll need. Whether you're using a utility knife or a paper cutter, however, always have an adult do the cutting for you.
While it's not essential, one coat of gloss acrylic varnish applied to the finished tray will make it more attractive and durable.
INTERESTING MOTHER'S DAY FACTS, TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS
- Mother's Day in Britain -- or Mothering Sunday -- came to be celebrated again after World War II, when American servicemen brought the custom and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales, etc.
- The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day not only in the United States, but also in other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium. By the end of Anna Jarvis' life, Mother's Day was celebrated in more than 40 countries.
- In Spain, Mother's Day is December 8, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so that not only mothers in one's family are honored, but also Mary, mother of Jesus.
- In France, Mother's Day is on the last Sunday of May. A special cake resembling a bouquet of flowers is presented to mothers at a family dinner.
- About 96% of American consumers take part in some way in Mother's Day.
- Mother's Day is widely reported as the peak day of the year for long distance telephone calls .
- Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for many restaurants .
- The International Mother's Day Shrine: this church in Grafton, West Virginia, was the site of the first unofficial Mother's Day celebration as created by Anna Jarvis, May 10, 1907.
- To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.
- Birthday Beliefs:
Monday's child is fair of face;
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe;
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving;
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
is fair and wise, good and gay.
