As you are probably aware, it is Mothering Sunday today. I know not many of us have the pleasure and privilege of having our mothers around, I know I don't, and to this day, I do still miss her. 

Mothering Sundays is always the middle Sunday in Lent and has been celebrated in the UK on this day since at least the 16th century.

It was known as Refreshment Sunday, Pudding Pie Sunday , (but only in Surrey for some reason!) or  Mid-Lent Sunday, which is logical.  The more unusual name was Mothering Sunday, and nobody really knows why. They think it could have been adopted from a Roman Spring festival which celebrated Cybele, their Mother Goddess.

Many hundreds of years ago people would go and visit the Mother Church, the church in which each person was baptised.  Cathedrals are the Mother Church of all churches. People that visited their mother church would say they had gone "a mothering".

People in service at the Manor House or Mansion were allowed one day a year to visit their family and this was generally on Mothering Sunday. This could be a long journey as the Manor House or Mansion could be in a different village or town.  Sometimes, the cook of the house would allow them to bake a cake to take home to their mothers, along with flowers from the garden or greenhouse. 

The most familiar cake related to Mothering Sunday is the Simnel Cake, but it was not eaten on  Mothering Sunday due to the rules of Lent, but was kept for Easter. 

There is an old saying and it’s very true: “If you have a Mother, cherish her with care, cos you’ll never miss her till you see an empty chair!”

All are welcome. And please feel free to recommend and share all discussions you enjoy.

There is no obligation to follow any of our informal themes. They are simply for fun. This is an open topic chat thread, so please just post or talk about anything you like!