Jewish Proverb: God could not be everywhere and therefore be made mothers.

People in many ancient cultures celebratedholidays honoring motherhood, personified as a goddess. Here are just a few of those:

Ancient Greeks celebrated a holiday in honor of Rhea(Photo), the mother of the gods, including Zeus.

Ancient Romans celebrated a holiday in honor of Cybele, a mother goddess.

In the British Isles and Celtic Europe, the goddessBrigid(Photo), and later her successor St. Brigid, were honored with a spring Mother's Day.

Motherhood honoured in modern times

Mothers' Day is not celebrated on the same day throughout the world, for instance, in America Mother's Day occurs on the second Sunday in May while in Britain it is honored on the fourth Sunday in Lent(For more information on Lent, please check out Lent in "Easter's dictionary" or Carnival in "Word & Story").

** Mother's Day in Britain (March 21st, 2006 )

simnel cake, a rich fruitcake sometimes covered with almond paste
Mothering Sunday was celebrated in Britain beginning in the 17th century.

It began as a day when apprentices and servants could return home for the day to visit their mothers. Traditionally, men went home with a gift of "mothering cake" -- a kind of fruitcake or fruit-filled pastry known as simnel cake (Photo ).

** Mother's Day in America (May 14th, 2006)

Thanks to Anna M. Jarvis, Mother's Day has become an official holiday in the United States.

After a year when her mother died on May 9, 1905, Anna M. Jarvis attended a memorial service at their church. Inspired by the service, she thought it would be wonderful if people set aside a time to pay personal tribute to their mothers. Then, the daughter began using some of her inheritance to promote a day that would honor all mothers.

She and others staged a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful in the end. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

Carnation: the symbol of Mother's Day

It was Jarvis who originated the custom of wearing a carnation on Mother's Day because carnation was her mother's favorite flower.

A pink carnation is to honor a living mother and a white carnation is memory of a mother who passed away.

Vocabulary:

Rhea: 瑞亚，希腊神话中Zeus（宙斯）的母亲

Cybele: 西布莉(小亚细亚神话中的众神之母，与希腊女神Rhea等同)

Brigid: 布里奇德，凯尔特神话中的橡树之神，同时也是诗歌的保护神，因为产于沼泽的橡树是凯尔特民族的象征，所以Brigid被认为是爱尔兰国的国母。

simnel: 一种含油丰富的水果蛋糕，有时上面浇有杏仁糖浆，传统上在大斋节期间、复活节和圣诞节食用

Anna M. Jarvis: 安娜·贾维思

• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)
• holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)
• instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)
• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
• tribute [´tribju:t] n.贡物；献礼；颂词 (初中英语单词)
• promote [prə´məut] vt.促进；发扬；助长 (初中英语单词)
• jewish [´dʒu:iʃ] a.犹太人(似)的 (高中英语单词)
• successor [sək´sesə] n.继承人，接班人 (高中英语单词)
• pastry [´peistri] n.面制糕点 (高中英语单词)
• memorial [mi´mɔ:riəl] a.纪念的 n.纪念物 (高中英语单词)
• inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)
• campaign [kæm´pein] n.战役；行动 vi.从军 (高中英语单词)
• announcement [ə´naunsmənt] n.通告；宣布；言谈 (高中英语单词)
• symbol [´simbəl] n.符号；象征 (高中英语单词)
• proverb [´prɔvə:b] n.谚语；格言 (英语四级单词)
• almond [´ɑ:mənd] n.杏核，杏仁；扁桃 (英语四级单词)
• observance [əb´zə:vəns] n.遵守；惯例；仪式 (英语四级单词)