If there’s one day of the year worthy of loud applause and raising a glass, it’s Mother’s Day, an annual celebration paying homage to the world’s greatest nurturers, multi-taskers, and wisdom-distributors. Sure, mom may have driven you a bit nutty with her maxims, mandates, and strong opinions on just about everything. But her heart was always in the right place, aiming to keep you fed, reasonably well-mannered, and out of harm’s way. So in that spirit of honoring all mothers, let’s take a fun look at the history of some customs that help us pay tribute to moms everywhere.
Observed on the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914. It’s also celebrated around the world in more than 50 countries, although not on the same day. Flowers, greeting cards and special outings remain the most popular gifts.
Let’s Hear It For Mom!
A traditional way to show appreciation and pay tribute to moms is with loud and hearty clapping of hands, a custom that goes back at least to Roman times. Roman citizens applauded speeches and dramatic performances they liked. In England, those in the British Parliament approved of what someone was saying by shouting, “Hear him! Hear him!” (The shortened form, “Hear, hear,” we still use today). So, let’s all shout, “Hooray for Mom,” and give her a well-deserved round of applause.
A Toast!
How about raising our glasses and saying some nice words to honor Mom. It’s an idea that dates back to the Romans, who spiked glasses of wine with spiced toast during special ceremonies to pledge friendship. The toast enhanced the flavor of the wine by making it sweeter. This Mother’s Day, be sure to make your Mom the “toast of the town,” an 18th century custom that entails drinking to the health of a celebrated person. Who better than Mom?
“Elbows Off the Table!”
It’s generally considered proper etiquette to keep one’s elbows off the table during dinner, but the origin of this custom wasn’t necessarily about manners. According to one explanation, during medieval times, the common people were so eager to take advantage of an opportunity to dine at court, that they would pack themselves shoulder to shoulder on long wooden benches, leaving little room for arms on the table. Even today, following this rule can keep errant elbows from knocking over glasses and bowls, and creates more personal space. So Mom’s not really being a nudge. She’s just being practical.
Other Classic Mom-isms
There are many — and many variations — but these are some of my Mom’s personal favorites:
Keep your wits about you!
You’ll get rickets!
You’re not going out with me looking like that.
Because I SAID so!
Oh, fiddlesticks! Or Hells Bells!
Finish your food; there are children starving all over the world.
This room is a pigsty.
When I was a kid, I had to walk miles through the deep snow to get to school.
What, you expect to be entertained 24 hours a day?
This isn’t the Waldorf, you know.
Don’t sit too close to the TV; you’ll ruin your eyes.
Let’s face it, if it hadn’t been for our mothers, we’d all have been standing in the middle of the street, talking to strangers, without our jackets.
“Now, as always, the most automated appliance in a household is the mother.”
Hey, Mom. Aren’t you glad that methods of cleaning clothes have progressed? Throughout dirty laundry history, Moms have done everything from pounding clothes against rocks in a river, to dragging clothes through the seawater while riding in a boat. Not to mention washboards and all of that scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing. Talk about labor intensive. Fully automated washing machines finally came along in the 1930s and 1940s – and a new day dawned.
The Old Gray Mare
If your mom colors her hair, she’ll be interested to know that particular element of her beauty regimen dates back to various ancient civilizations. Like the ancients, if Mom wants to employ natural dye methods, she can use what the Greeks used: yellow pollen, flour, or gold dust for blond. For brunette, she can try a Roman concoction made of boiled leeks and walnut shells. More daring Moms might want to sport the bright hair hues most often associated with 1980s punk rockers — but the Saxons actually did this first, dying their hair red, green, orange and sky blue.
“Mama-mia, that’s a spicy meatball!“
Just like “comfort” is associated with Mom, “comfort food” is associated with Mom’s Kitchen – or sometimes, Grandmom’s Kitchen. Those family recipes passed down from generation to generation. Just to smell them cooking takes you back to some warm, childhood memory – relieving pain, providing a sense of well-being. Kudos to all our moms who keep us nurtured and nourished – even if some of their meals, at times, result in some minor indigestion.
When you get right down to it, our mothers gave us the guidance, nurturing, and wisdom that helped shape us into the people we are today. For all of those hard-earned life lessons, home-cooked meals, and caring reminders to bundle up or eat our vegetables, we say, “Thanks, Mom. And Happy Mother’s Day.”
Much of the information on customs came from a cool book I checked out at the library: An Uncommon History of Common Things. (affiliate link)
Fun book to read with the kids.
