MOTHER'S DAY IN PHILIPPINES

Mother’s day in Philippines is celebrated on second Sunday of the month of May. And children and their fathers spend the whole day pampering their Mothers and showing off love to them. Mother’s day in Philippines is considered as a token of showing gratitude to the immeasurable sacrifices that mothers do for their family.

The celebration of Mother’s day dates back to the era of early Romans and Greeks. At that time, they would celebrate the annual spring festival which they dedicated to adoring their Maternal Goddesses. In early time, Christians celebrated the festival in the quest of honouring Virgin Mary. But, the celebration got official recognition by United States in 1872 by Julia Ward. She was the one who wrote a proclamation requesting all the Mothers to help themselves rise during the war. However, it was Anna Jarvis who is considered to be the originator of Mothers’ day. Her long effort in the bid to recognise hard work a mother puts in wile raising her child, led to Woodrow Wilson, the President of the country, declaring the second Sunday as Mothers’ Day.

The mothers of Philippines have various nicknames including Mama, Nanay, Mom, Mommy and many others. However, children in the country denote their mother by “ilaw ng tahanan“, which means the light of the house. This idiom used for mothers in the country describes the comfort and warmth that they bring to the home with their cheerful demeanour. Mothers are the one who, at most occasions sacrifice their own interests just to serve their children. They make sure to keep alive the well-being the entire family. Another saying which describes the sacrifice that a mother does is, “Ang Ina, isusubo na nga lang, ibibigay pa sa anak”. This can be to an extent summed up as “even if the food is all ready for her she will always want of feed ounce of it to her children.

Mother’s day is extraordinarily revered and therefore it is celebrated throughout the country with utmost zeal. The people there do not only celebrate the festival not only in honour of their own mother but they also revere their grandmothers, cousins, aunts, and every other female members of the family.

Children make cards for their mothers drawing on them the picture of their mothers. Some of them also arrange for breakfast for their mothers in bed. An interesting fact is that, husbands also give gifts to their wives or they also take their wives to a trip or a day of relaxation. The day’s celebration starts with hearing mass in the morning and thereafter presenting to the moms with delicious lunch at one of their favourite restaurants. And, the rest part of the day is spent at one of the mother’s favourite places. Mother’s day in Philippines is not an official holiday, however it falls on Sunday. # ADAPTED