Origin and History of Mother's Day in Greece
Mother’s Day is observed worldwide with one motive of honoring the most important person in everyone’s life - mother. Although one day is not sufficient to honor her sacrifices and unconditional love for us, but we can at least celebrate the relationship of a mother and a child. This blissful day holds a huge significance around the world and is celebrated on different dates in different countries. As such, the history of Mother’s Day is debatable in Greece. As per the Eastern Orthodox Church, this day is related to the Eastern Orthodox Feast Day of the Presentation of Jesus at the temple (which occurs on February 2). Since the Holy Theotokos, ‘The Mother of God’, appears prominently in this feast, as he was the one who brought Christ to the Temple at Jerusalem, this feast is often associated with mothers. However, due to the globalization, many Greek people celebrate this day on the second day of May every year.
Local name: Mother’s Day
Ways to celeberate Mother’s Day in Greece
Apart from the above theories, there is another theory connected to Rhea. The ancient Greeks celebrated Mother’s Day in spring to honor Mother Rhea, who was believed to be the Mother of Gods. At that time on this particular day, they used to offer and celebrate with honey-cakes, fine drinks, and flowers at sunrise. Since then, many people follow the same custom by offering cakes and flowers to their mothers in the morning. According to the Orthodox belief, it is a day of a grand feast. Hence, followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church commemorate two occasions at a time. Besides, many western ways of celebrating Mother’s Day is largely getting popular day by day. Children give handmade cards, beautiful flowers, and attractive gifts to their mothers as a token of unconditional love and get blessings from their mothers.
