May 13 2012
In many countries around the world (including Canada), today is Mother’s day.
Being from the UK and with my own mum still over there, I’ve already paid homage to mine back on March 18 when the UK, Irish and Nigerian mums get to be treated…Mine only got a phone call this year, but at least I remembered and without the constant reminder of seeing ads everywhere…thankfully the stores only advertise the day for about a month leading up to today.
To be honest, I never knew the history behind Mother’s day and it appears we have a United-States lady by the name of Anna Jarvis to thank, who in 1908 held a memorial for her mother and began a campaign to make it a recognized holiday – not to celebrate her mother but everyone’s đ Her wish was granted in 1914.
She was reportedly upset soon after though by the commercialization of the date, even referring to it as a Hallmark Day. She was pretty spot on since in the United States, Mother’s Day is one of the top days in the year for sales of cards.
I don’t think the USA is alone in the over-commercialization. Just walking a few blocks on rue Sainte-Catherine I noticed a number of window displays dedicated to the date.
Birks Mother’s Day window display
La Baie Mother’s Day window Display
Another store promoting Mother’s Day
Even “Mother Earth” gets a mention
FĂȘte des MĂšres
A good day to be in the florist business !!!
Flowers in hot demand
Off to see mum?
Street flower seller
My final image is of a mum-to-be who was asking for help to buy food…a poignant reminder of the difficulty some mother’s face.
Mum to be looking for help
To view images in gallery format, simply click on one of the images below.
Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.
– Martin