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Article: Mother's Day roots grew out of religious soil.(Daily Break)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- April 23, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: BETSY WRIGHT RHODES
With Catholicism's "Papa" in place, it seems a good time to turn attention to the mamas of the world.
On May 8, almost all Americans - 89 percent according to one survey - will honor their mothers. Though we think of it as secular, Mother's Day has its origins in religion. The earliest festivals date to about 300 B.C., when the Greeks and Romans celebrated the mother goddesses of the gods.
Some early Christians absorbed this pagan idea and set aside the fourth Sunday of Lent to honor the Virgin Mary. In the 1600s, England dubbed the day "Mothering Sunday" and expanded the honor to include all mothers. Today, ...