Celebrating Mother's Day Traditions from Around the World

Episode 228:  Lori and Vonda explore the various traditions and customs of celebrating Mother's Day across different parts of the world. Drawing from an article by Tierney McAfee, they discuss the different dates on which Mother's Day is celebrated internationally, as well as some common similarities such as the tradition of giving flowers. Join them as they share unique and fun traditions that can inspire and add a global touch to your own Mother's Day celebrations.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Family members, particularly children and spouses, take on the tasks that mothers would typically handle, allowing her to be pampered and appreciated. I love that. Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Lori, we're getting close to Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

We are getting close, and I'm telling you, I am not going to be in this country during Mother's Day, remember? Oh, yeah, that's right. How exciting is that? It's going to be exciting, except where I'm going. They've already had Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

So that's right. We're talking about that today. And I just think that's kind of interesting. So, you know what? You're going to be skipping Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Yeah, but I'll be with my oldest son. So he's over in Ireland. He's over there for three months. And so we are going to go visit him. So we're really excited. So we'll do our own little little Mother's Day that Sunday. But yeah, it was funny because he said when he got over there in March, like the second weekend, he was there. He was at church and they were celebrating Mother's Day. And he's like, oh no, shoot. And then he realized, oh, it's just here in the UK and Ireland area. It's not, and he thought he forgot Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

And we don't think of that, right? We just think, oh, everybody celebrates Mother's Day at the same time. Yeah. So that kind of sparked you to say, hey, what's going on with Mother's Day around the world? And their celebrations. So you came up with 10 unique Mother's Day traditions around the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

So Googling on the Google machine, and we were looking around, and we actually found this fun article from the Pioneer Woman's website. And she did this, I don't know, it was actually this year, and she was talking about different places around the world on how they celebrate Mother's Day. And everybody does it a little bit differently. And we thought this would be fun. And so I will start with the first one. In Peru, it is a very common tradition on Mother's Day for all of the families to visit cemeteries to honor and remember deceased mothers. Many people that bring flowers, candles, and other offerings to the gravesites to help keep the memory of their mothers alive. I think that's wonderful. I think a lot of people in America do that too.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

That's what I was going to say too. I think that we do that often, especially if it's not been long since you've lost your mother.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Yeah. I also know that, like in our email marketing we have for our Flower Click members, I've had a handful of people of our members tell me to add things in their email about they have lovely graveside flower bouquets that you can take to your deceased mother. So I know that they market towards that too. I don't want to say market in like a bad way, but they do. That's so that's definitely a thing here. And I have memories of on Mother's Day weekend, maybe not necessarily on the exact Sunday, but always the weekend of after my grandmother passed away. My mom would always go to my grandmother's grave and put something on there. So that was definitely a thing. Yeah, definitely a thing.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

I think it's really cool. I do too. Well, so number two, this is one of your favorites. I'm gonna just let you say it because it is your favorite.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

It's my favorite, and I want to figure out how we can bring it here. Mums for mom. It's the best in Australia. It's they have a tradition of giving chrysanthemums or mums for Mother's Day. Mums for mom. Is that not the cutest thing ever? It really is cute. It really is cute. It's a popular and enduring practice. Chrysanthemums hold a special significance as a symbol of love, appreciation, and honor for the mothers. Plus, how fitting is it to give mum mums? I just think that is really cool. Yeah. I do too.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

And I'm trying to figure out what a great marketing opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

We incorporate that into our email marketing. Because I'm like, that could be really cute. Really, really cute. So if you guys are listening this week, like do a post on your social media. How about some mums for mom?

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Love it.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Love it. And if I see it, I will definitely like it. And I'll let you listen to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

All right. Number three, a morning serenade. Mother's Day in Mexico often begins with the serenade called Las Menanitas. We apologize if that's not correct. And we're sure it's not, but family members and sometimes mariachi bands gather outside the mother's window to sing and express love and appreciation. Oh, that's cute. That would be great.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Oh, that is that. Did I ever tell you that back in my childhood, there was this Mexican restaurant? This is a total tangent, but this is so typical of my childhood. There was this Mexican restaurant in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It's called Alfredo's, owned by a guy named Pepe, that my parents became friends with. Okay. Pepe had a little band. And my parents would hire his little band to come out to our house every once in a while when we were having company and play because my dad loved his little mariachi band. And he would always play that La Cuka Racha. I was probably like eight. And I just remembered dancing and having the best time. And keep in mind, no alcohol. Because my parents weren't big doing yours. We had the best time with Pepe. And I remember my mom always called them Pepe Le Pew, but I don't know what his real last name was.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

That's so funny. So your mom would have loved him to come outside her window. No, that appreciation. Why did we not hire him on Mother's Day?

SPEAKER_00 6:47

That would have been so great. But he was this little chubby, sweet, happy man, and he'd bring these other guys out and they'd just play. They just loved it. It was so fun. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

What great memories. What a crazy life.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

All right. The next one is this one is in the UK. It's called Mothering Sunday. In the UK, the tradition of Mothering Sunday involves children giving flowers and cards to honor their mothers, much like we do here in the U.S. Mothering Sunday began as a way for Christians to honor the Virgin Mary that has evolved over the years to celebrate all mothers. So that's beautiful. It's very similar to what's here. Flowers and cards.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Well, this is a really good one, too. Give mom the day off. Oh in Italy, it's common tradition for mothers to be relieved of household chores and cooking duties on Mother's Day. The idea is to allow mothers to enjoy a day of relaxation and celebration without having to engage in their usual daily activities. Kind of like here, right? Yeah. Family members, particularly children and spouses, take on the tasks that mothers would typically handle, allowing her to be pampered and appreciated. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

I think that's actually one of the best gifts you can give mom, especially when the kids are younger. You know, just pamper her and do all of the other stuff around her.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

I used to get that from the kids, and then they would do those coupons.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Yes. Oh yeah. Yeah. I still have a lot of them. I found really yeah, I think I've talked about that on here before.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

You have. I think you have too.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Yeah, and I every once in a while will try to redeem them, and they all just kind of look at me like it was an expired.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Gosh, they didn't have an expiration date.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

I know. I know. Okay, next one, number six, is Visit Mata M-A-T-A Tirtha Pond. This is in Nepal. Many people honor the deceased by visiting Mata Tirtha Pond, especially during the annual festival of Mata Tirtha Ansi. This festival, also known as Mother's Day or Amako Mukherndin, which means day to see mother's face, is dedicated to showing love and respect to mothers, both living and deceased. My question is, how big is this pond? Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

If everybody has to go visit it. It's gotta be more of a lake than a pond if everybody has to go.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Yeah, I think. I mean, unless during the annual festival, maybe the festival is like a week long, and at some point everybody goes. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Interesting. But I love that day to see mother's face. Yeah. That's so sweet.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

And you go, and the picture that they're showing is like you go to the pond and you put your hands in it. So that's pretty cool. I don't know. It would be fun to see a YouTube video and see what the what the whole festival is like. Yeah, what the whole thing looks like. That would be amazing.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Mm-hmm. Okay, well, number seven, a three-day celebration. In Ethiopia, Mother's Day is part of a three-day celebration known as entrust. Mm-hmm. This celebration, which usually takes place in mid-fall, honors mothers with traditional music, dancing, bonfires, and special feasts. Wow. Oh, that sounds fun.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

It does sound fun. We could have it in May and then again in the fall. Uh-huh. That really sounds fun. It's a three-day celebration. I think Mother's Day should be like a full weekend. Why is it only one day? That's all that anybody could keep up with us.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

That's just pro that would be my. You know, very can you imagine Mark having to pamper and be nice for more than one day? No.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

And take care of all it used to be almost stressful for me to sit on the couch and actually watch them navigate making dinner, breakfast. Because I could see as the day went on the stress building up. And the piles of dishes and everything else that you're going to have to take care of. Yes. And you're just sitting there. There's honestly, there's a time you're like, you kind of want to jump in.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Because you're like, God, this is gonna go bad. This is not gonna end well. And I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Just lessons we learn and what we learn those days, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Exactly. It's all it's all fine. All right. Number eight, celebrate the Queen Mother. This is in Thailand. In Thailand, Mother's Day is celebrated on August 12th. Ooh. It marks the birthday of their beloved queen, Sirikit. On this day, people commonly present their mothers with flowers, particularly jasmine. Ooh. Smells yummy. Yes. It's a symbol of purity and love. The celebrations often include ceremonies and parades to honor both the queen and the mothers across the country. Very interesting. I somehow have gotten myself on Thailand TikTok lately. Interesting, Lori. And I know. I don't know how. I don't know how I got on there, but it's fascinating. I keep seeing people that Americans, mostly younger people, not like our age, but younger people that have moved over there, whether it's for work or whatever. And you can live so cheaply, inexpensively over there in some really nice apartments. Most of the people that live over there work remote.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Just how they can live inexpensively. And all of the foods that they have. And it's cool. You know my love of TikTok. Well, the different cultures, that's what I love. And I find all the different foods and things I've never learned about and never seen before. And so and really never had an interest of. No, never been before then, right? Exactly. Well, that's what I like to see. People keep telling me, well, there's a dark side of it. I'm like, I know, but I'm not on that. I don't know who that is. I get it. I don't go there. That's scary.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Stay away. Stay away. Okay, so number nine, gifting red carnations. On Mother's Day in Japan, it's common for children to present their mothers with bouquets or single stems of red carnations. These flowers hold special symbolism representing a mother's selfless love and sacrifice for her children.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Oh, I love that. I do love that. That's great. And you know, the carnations a few weeks ago when I was on the JetFresh podcast, that was my flower for the most underrated.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

I heard you. That was really a good interview. That was a good time with the JetFresh team.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah, they're funny. They're funny. But I do, I think it's coming back though. I think it's I think more people are loving it. But I've been around them, and it's because of you and the, you know, we use them and Ellie and the colors that I've been able to see in person and the hardiness of them.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Mm-hmm. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

They're just so pretty. They're so pretty. And you can use them in anything. And fragrant, most of them. I mean, some of them are really fragrant. And it's kind of cool. Yeah. But the some of the red ones, they're they're stunning. They're absolutely stunning. Hard to photograph, Ellie will say. That red. Well, red and hot pink. Red and hot pink. You can't tell the difference on a camera, but yep. All right. And the last one, which is fun but hard to say, is bake a cake on French Mother's Day or Fete de Mer's. It is a popular tradition for families to gift or bake a cake for their mothers. These fête de mer cakes are often designed to look like a flower bouquet. Isn't that great? I mean, the picture is beautiful. It is beautiful, and I think it's cool that it kind of goes back to flowers.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

And over half of these have something to do with flowers, which I think is really cool. It's just that, you know, from the cemetery flowers to the moms to the flowers in the UK, even given the mothers the day off, sometimes you pamper them with flowers, the three death celebration, celebrating the mother queen with the jasmine, the red carnations, and then the cakes. I mean, that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Yeah, it is. It's very cool. I was thinking this morning before we did this, we always tried to talk about like Mother's Day memories about them this time of the year. And I was like, God, I feel like we've talked about every single one that I can remember. But there was one that came to my mind one of the last Mother's Days that I had with my mom. And she wasn't doing really well. You know, she had Parkinson's, and along with Parkinson, she kind of have a little bit of dementia. And a lot of that is because of the medication. But I was flying in to surprise her. And my dad knew I was coming to my sister. So my sister picked me up at the airport. And uh she had no idea. And so she was sitting on the couch, and they were they had changed up some of her medication at the time. And it was one of those moments where that transitioning sometime, her Parkinson's was stronger than the medication. So she was not doing well. She was have really struggling. So she was very hunched over during those moments. But she was sitting on the couch in their house, and I walked in, and I had some flowers, of course, you know, just a little wrapped bouquet because I didn't have time to grab anything else. But I walked in and she looked up because she was had trouble like holding up her head even at the moment because her medicine was not functioning as it should at the time. And she kept looking at me and I was like, Mama, mama, it's Lori. And my sister, who looks very much like me, is right there too. So she was like trying to figure out, and she kept saying, Am I dreaming? Am I dreaming? And I was like, No, mama. And I got downright in her face. She kept touching my face, touching my face, and I sat down next to her. She started crying, and she kept saying, Are you here? Are you here? Anyway, it was it was one of the best. I am here. Surprise! Surprise, mama. Oh my god. My sister's like, I never get tears when I walk in the door, you know, it was just being silly.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

But as a mother, you can imagine that, but as a daughter experiencing that because you're a mother and how that whole thing plays into our emotions.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Yeah. And my sister lived in the town. I lived in Ohio at the time. Yeah. So I lived so far away. She never dreamed I would walk in the door. But that whole time, that whole long weekend, I was there, she kept touching me. I can't believe you're real. I can't believe you're real. And I was like, I'm real, mama. I'm real. Anyway, that's one of my favorite, like the best Mother's Day. And all of these things I read, like they're not about the present, but they're about the presence. Right. They're being present in memory and just honoring your mother, giving her flowers, making her a cake, being with them. Because that's what the memory is about. I can't really remember a gift, like a tangible gift that I gave my mother or that was given to me, but I remember those memories, the experiences. The time that you were actually able to be with her, right. Yes, during those kind of moments. Or I remember the silly poems that my sister and I wrote for her, or we would act out. We did a lot of even as young adults when we were probably too old, like you know, because those were her favorite gifts.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

You know, my mother always wanted us to go to church with her on day. That was always a favorite, and that was one of the things I always loved with the with the kids when they were with me. It was like one of those important things.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

Yeah, like very important. I don't want to go to church with me, sit with me as a family.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Yep, just sit here and you don't have to give me a gift.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

No, this is my gift. This is sit here and don't fight with each other. Just that's it. That's it, please. Yes, don't fight. That's all I ask. That is all I ask.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

No, but those are the beautiful memories that will never go away. Yeah. So we're challenging everyone to think of a memory and share it with maybe someone you're working with today. Talk about you know what is a Mother's Day memory that you have. And if you have a memory that you could share with somebody who's still alive, I think that's a precious gift that you can share more and give to somebody. So yeah. Hope you guys have a great work week. It's going to be a busy one, but just remember how many mothers you're making happy this week. Yes. And happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day, Lori, to you too. And have a safe trip and a wonderful time. Bye well.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

So please come back and join us and discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business.