Roughly three weeks from now, flower shops will once again be flocked by men and children of all ages, hauling up only the best for the number one woman our lives: our mothers and wives. Next to the ever popular Christmas and Valentines, Mothers Day is one of the most widely celebrated holidays around the globe. While it’s celebrated different days of the year, we celebrate it here in the Philippines every second Sunday of May (May 11 this 2008), as adopted from the Western calendar.

The earliest recognized Mothers Day celebration dates back to ancient Greece in honor of the Mother of the gods, Rhea. The Romans, who have equally popular mythological gods have been honoring Rhea’s Roman counterpart, Juno, through a holiday called “Matronalia” where mothers are usually given flowers and gifts. During the 16th century, the mothers from United Kingdom and Ireland are released by their masters every fourth Sunday of Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday) to be with their children and families hence the day has been called “mothering Sunday”.

The American tradition of honoring mothers every second Sunday of May has only begun in May 9, 1914 through the efforts of Julia Ward Howe (wrote a Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament in 1870), Ann Jarvis (she attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers’ Work Days in 1858), and Anna Jarvis (the daughter of the previously mentioned who also started a movement to impose a memorial day for women in 1907).

Shopping for Mothers Day has never been simpler these days where everything is available in the malls or even online. Flower shops have hundreds of arrangement and gift suggestions for the confused gift giver. Start off your selection with an exquisite or quirky (whatever fits your mom’s personality) vase. This should be a good practice to ward off those boxes and tissue wrappers that your mom will just ditch within the day.

From there, check out the vast selection of flowers this summer. They are not only colorful but can also be inexpensive (naturally because of the supply). Pair your customized flower and vase with the book she’s been dying to read, a Teflon pan to replace the one you damaged by scraping off the coating with a metal spoon or take her to a scrub, massage, and wrap date at the spa. The key is to give her something that will truly make her feel like a queen so there’s no room for going overboard here. She’s worked very hard year round for you and it’s your chance to say thank you with everyone else around the globe.

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Timothy Spencer

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