Christ Church Moreton Hall

The correct name for Mothers Day in the UK is Mothering Sunday.
Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent however as the dates vary as to when Easter and Lent fall the actual Sunday chosen to celebrate it may vary.
History/Origin of Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday History in UK is centuries old. It goes back to the time of early Christians in England who celebrated a Mothers festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honour of Virgin Mary. Some believe that the ceremonies in honour of Roman mother goddess, Cybele were adopted by the early church to worship Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. Others say the Mother Church was substituted for Mother Goddess and according to a custom laid a person visit the church of his/her baptism (Mother Church) on this day.

The origin of Mothering Sunday can also be traced to the fact that in early time’s people in England as a tradition visited their nearest parish called, "Daughter Church" on every Sunday.

Also in those times, in the 1600s, children after the age of ten left their homes for jobs as apprentice or domestic servants. It was considered important by the people that these children be allowed to visit their home and mother church once a year. Accordingly, once in a year, in the middle of the Lent the children were given a leave by their employers to visit their "Mother Church" or Cathedral of their hometown. These children on their visit to their homes brought along gifts, flowers and special cakes for their mothers. These visits thus became a time for family reunions and over a period time, this holiday meant for the return to Mother Church was stretched to include all mothers and was named as Mothering Sunday.

Mothering Sunday or Refreshment Sunday or Simnel Sunday, and Rose Sunday

Mothering Sunday was also known as Refreshment Sunday because the fasting rules for Lent were relaxed on that day. Besides both Old and New Testament, lessons on mid-Lent Sunday made a point of food. The Gospel reading from the New Testament told the story of how Jesus fed five thousand people with only five small barley loaves and two small fish. (John 6:10-12) In northern England and Scotland, people like to have carlings - pancakes prepared from steeped peas fried in butter, with pepper and salt. Therefore, in some locations this day was called Carling Sunday.

Simnel Sunday The more commonly prepared dish of Mothering Sunday is Simnel Cake. Sometimes furmenty - wheat grains boiled in sweet milk, sugared and spiced was also served. Simnel Cake is a special food item associated with Mothering Sunday. A Simnel cake is a rich fruitcake with a layer of almond paste on top and in the middle. The cake is made with 11 balls of marzipan (a confection made of ground almonds or almond paste, egg whites and sugar, often moulded into decorative shapes) icing on top representing the 11 disciples (Judas is not included). The cake was boiled in water, and then baked. The Lenten fast dictated that the Simnel cake be keep until Easter.

The word Simnel is said to have been derived from the Latin word "similar" which means fine wheat flour mainly used for baking a cake. There is also an interesting legend associated with the use of the word Simnel. It says that once a man called Simon and his wife Nell had an argument over whether the Mothering Sunday cake should be baked or boiled. Ultimately, they did both. So the cake came be to named after both of them and was called, 'SIM-NELL'

The other names attributed to this festival include Rose Sunday is sometimes used as an alternative title for Mothering Sunday as well, as is witnessed by the purple robes of Lent being replaced in some churches by rose-coloured ones. This title refers to the tradition of posies of flowers being collected and distributed at the service originally to all the mothers, but latterly to all women in the congregation This Sunday was also once known as "the Sunday of the Five Loaves", from the traditional Gospel reading for the day.
Another tradition associated with Mothering Sunday is the practice of "clipping the church", whereby the congregation form a ring around their church building and, holding hands, embrace it.
For some Church of England churches, it is the only day in Lent when marriages can be celebrated.