Celebrating Mothers

I stumbled across some interesting information about Mother's Day;

Some historians believe that the earliest celebrations of Mother's Day was the ancient spring festival dedicated to mother goddesses. The ancient Greek empire had a spring festival honoring Rhea, wife of Cronus and mother of the gods and goddesses. In Rome there was a Mother's Day-like festival dedicated to the worship of Cybele, also a mother goddess.

Then came the adoption of Mother's Day in the United States, the New York Times of May 10, 1953, reported:

"In spite of the popularity of Cybele, . . . and sporadic occasions honoring mothers during the Middle Ages, it was not until 1914 that the proper combination of sentimentality, idealistic promotion and hard business sense impelled the United States Congress to designate the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day."

Let's consider though that Mother's Day is a spring celebration. And others around the world celebrate Mother's Day in a distinctive way that involves worship to Mother Nature or Mother Earth. For example, the first rites of Spring are held over Mother's Day weekend by Pagans in New England. It is a Pagan gathering that started in 1979 on Mother's Day weekend and involves pagans, witches, and other participants from all over the world. 

I never thought Mother's Day may have it's roots in Paganism, so I looked for more information and here is what I found:

Matronalia seems to be kind of a Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and anniversary of a marriage, and fertility holiday all rolled into one! Wikipedia describes Matronalia (or Matronales Feriae) as a festival that is similar to Mother's Day. The festival celebrates Juno Lucina, the goddess of childbirth ("Juno who brings children into the light"), and of motherhood (mater is "mother" in Latin) and women in general. In the original Roman calendar traditionally thought to have been established by Romulus, it was the first day of the year. As the first day of March (Martius), the month of Mars, it was also the Feriae Marti.

The date of the festival was associated with the dedication of a temple to Juno Lucina on the Esquiline Hill circa 268 BCE, and possibly also a commemoration of the peace between the Romans and the Sabines.

At home, women received gifts from their husbands and daughters (not sons?), and Roman husbands were expected to offer prayers for their wives. Women were also expected to prepare a meal for the household slaves (who were given the day off work), as Roman men did at the Saturnalia. (Hmmm...seems these Romans may have shown at least a little gender equality then.)

Even if you do not have a relationship with your own mother, you have a relationship with Mother Earth. And if you are Pagan, you most likely have a relationship with the Goddess in some shape or form. And Although Mother's Day was yesterday, you can celebrate Mother Nature and The Goddess Every Day!

Thousands of years later, one of the biggest holidays in the United States is Mother's Day, which is when we take a few moments to say thanks to the women we love -- moms, sisters, grandmothers, etc. If we expand a little on this, we can use Mother's Day as an opportunity to honor all of the women who have touched us, both spiritually and emotionally. The archetype of the mother goddess is one that has been significant in many cultures, so what better day than this to celebrate the power of the sacred feminine? Take a few minutes to celebrate both the goddesses who have touched you, and the women in your family and circle of friends, with a special rite: 

The Goddess Rite

1. This simple ritual can be performed by both men and women, and is designed to honor the feminine aspects of the universe as well as our female ancestors. If you have a particular deity you call upon, feel free to change names or attributes around where needed. Otherwise, you can use the all-encompassing name of "Goddess" in the rite.
   
2. Decorate your altar with symbols of femininity: cups, chalices, flowers, lunar objects, fish, and doves or swans. You'll also need the following items for this ritual:
   
   • A white candle
   • An offering of something that is important to you
   • A bowl of water
   • A handful of small pebbles or stones
3. If your tradition calls for you to cast a circle, do so now. Begin by standing in the goddess position, and saying:
   
   I am (your name), and I stand before you,
   goddesses of the sky and earth and sea,
   I honor you, for your blood runs through my veins,
   one woman, standing on the edge of the universe.
   Tonight, I make an offering in Your names,
   As my thanks for all you have given me.
4. Light the candle, and place your offering before it on the altar. The offering may be something tangible, such as bread or wine or flowers. It can also be something symbolic, such as a gift of your time or dedication. Whatever it is, it should be something from your heart.
   
5. Once you have made your offering, it is time to call upon the goddesses by name. Say:
   
   I am (your name), and I stand before you,
   Isis, Ishtar, Tiamat, Inanna, Shakti, Cybele.
   Mothers of the ancient people,
   guardians of those who walked the earth thousands of years ago,
   I offer you this as a way of showing my gratitude.
   Your strength has flowed within me,
   your wisdom has given me knowledge,
   your inspiration has given birth to harmony in my soul.
6. Now it is time to honor the women who have touched your life. For each one, place a pebble into the bowl of water. As you do so, say her name and how she has impacted you. You might say something like this:
   I am (your name), and I stand before you,
   to honor the sacred feminine that has touched my heart.
   I honor Susan, who gave birth to me and raised me to be strong;
   I honor Maggie, my grandmother, whose strength took her to the hospitals of war-torn France;
   I honor Cathleen, my aunt, who lost her courageous battle with cancer;
   I honor Jennifer, my sister, who has raised three children alone…
7. Continue until you have placed a pebble in the water for each of these women. Reserve one pebble for yourself. Finish by saying:
   
   I am (your name), and I honor myself,
   for my strength, my creativity, my knowledge, my inspiration,
   and for all the other remarkable things that make me a woman.
8. Take a few minutes and reflect on the sacred feminine. What is it about being a woman that gives you joy? If you're a man performing this ritual, what is it about the women in your life that makes you love them? Meditate on the feminine energy of the universe for a while, and when you are ready, end the ritual.
   
   
   
   
   How to say 'Mother' in 126 different languages:

   Afrikaans	Moeder, Ma
   Albanian	Nënë, Mëmë
   Arabic	Ahm
   Aragones	Mai
   Asturian	Ma
   Aymara	Taica
   Azeri (Latin Script)	Ana
   Basque	Ama
   Belarusan	Matka
   Bergamasco	Màder
   Bolognese	Mèder
   Bosnian	Majka
   Brazilian Portuguese	Mãe
   Bresciano	Madèr
   Breton	Mamm
   Bulgarian	Majka
   Byelorussian	Macii
   Calabrese	Matre, Mamma
   Caló	Bata, Dai
   Catalan	Mare
   Cebuano	Inahan, Nanay
   Chechen	Nana
   Croatian	Mati, Majka
   Czech	Abatyse
   Danish	Mor
   Dutch	Moeder, Moer
   Dzoratâi	Mére
   English	Mother, Mama, Mom
   Esperanto	Patrino, Panjo
   Estonian	Ema
   Faeroese	Móðir
   Finnish	Äiti
   Flemish	Moeder
   French	Mère, Maman
   Frisian	Emo, Emä, Kantaäiti, Äiti
   Furlan	Mari
   Galician	Nai
   German	Mutter
   Greek	Màna
   Griko	Salentino, Mána
   Hawaiian	Makuahine
   Hindi -	Ma, Maji
   Hungarian	Anya, Fu
   Icelandic	Móðir
   Ilongo	Iloy, Nanay, Nay
   Indonesian	Induk, Ibu, Biang, Nyokap
   Irish	Máthair
   Italian	Madre, Mamma
   Japanese	Okaasan, Haha
   Judeo Spanish	Madre
   Kannada	Amma
   Kurdish Kurmanji	Daya
   Ladino	Uma
   Latin	Mater
   Leonese	Mai
   Ligurian	Maire
   Limburgian	Moder, Mojer, Mam
   Lingala	Mama
   Lithuanian	Motina
   Lombardo Occidentale	Madar
   Lunfardo	Vieja
   Macedonian	Majka
   Malagasy	Reny
   Malay	Emak
   Maltese	Omm
   Mantuan	Madar
   Maori	Ewe, Haakui
   Mapunzugun	Ñuke, Ñuque
   Marathi	Aayi
   Mongolian	`eh
   Mudnés	Medra, mama
   Neapolitan	Mamma
   Norwegian	Madre
   Occitan	Maire
   Old Greek	Mytyr
   Parmigiano	Mädra
   Persian	Madr, Maman
   Piemontese	Mare
   Polish	Matka, Mama
   Portuguese	Mãe
   Punjabi	Mai, Mataji, Pabo
   Quechua	Mama
   Rapanui	Matu'a Vahine
   Reggiano	Mèdra
   Romagnolo	Mèder
   Romanian	Mama, Maica
   Romansh	Mamma
   Russian	Mat'
   Saami	Eadni
   Samoan	Tina
   Sardinian (Limba Sarda Unificada)	Mama
   Sardinian Campidanesu	mamai
   Sardinian Logudoresu	Madre, Mamma
   Serbian	Majka
   Shona	Amai
   Sicilian	Matri
   Slovak	Mama, Matka
   Slovenian	Máti
   Spanish	Madre, Mamá, Mami
   Swahili	Mama, Mzazi, Mzaa
   Swedish	Mamma, Mor, Morsa
   Swiss German	Mueter
   Telegu	Amma
   Triestino	Mare
   Turkish	Anne, Ana, Valide
   Turkmen	Eje
   Ukrainian	Mati
   Urdu	Ammee
   Valencian	Mare
   Venetian	Mare
   Viestano	Mamm'
   Vietnamese	me
   Wallon	Mére
   Welsh	Mam
   Yiddish	Muter
   Zeneize	Moæ