Alex Trelinski
SPAIN celebrates Mother’s Day(Dia de la Madre) this weekend on its now regular date of the first Sunday in May.
Mother’s Day in the country has moved around over the years- including doubling up with an important December feast day.
It eventually settled down to the start of May back in the mid-1960’s.
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The month is regarded as being dedicated to the Virgin Mary within Roman Catholic Church history, but that itself has varied.
In 1925 the Valencian poet, Julio Menendez Garcia, wrote a pamphlet advocating the concept of a Mother’s Day in all Spanish-speaking countries.
That wasn’t carried through but the next year, Madrid settled on Mother’s Day being on October 4.
As years came and went, some regions coupled up the occasion with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
But it was the early 60s and a bit of commercial enterprise that got things settled to where we are now.
The Galerias Preciados department store chain decided to copy Cuba’s custom of having the celebration on the first Sunday in May.
That was in contrast to its big rival, El Corte Ingles, who celebrated the occasion in December.
The two dates battled it out until 1965 when the Catholic Church in Spain said that early May would be the definitive date, to recover the main focus of December 8.
In addition to handmade presents handed over by children, there are plenty of flowers, cards and gifts handed over to Spanish mums.
And coupled with a Sunday, there’s a big family meal at home or a restaurant.
