The story of Mother's Day

 While the earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebration of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.During the 1600's,Endland celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent(the 40-day period leading up to Easter),"Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.

During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servents would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake ,called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe-the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church"-the sprititual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration. People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.

中文译文：

最早的母亲节的庆祝可以追溯到古希腊对象征众神之母的Rhea 的春日庆祝活动。17世纪，英格兰把这天称作“拜望双亲日”。这一天在大斋节的第四个星期天（大斋节共40天，一直持续到复活节），设立“拜望双亲日”是为了纪念英国的母亲。

这段时间，英国的很多穷人在富人家做仆人。因为离家很远他们不得不住在雇主家里。在母亲节这天，他们被准假回家与母亲一起度过节日。他们带回的特别的省亲蛋糕增添了节日的气氛。

当基督教在欧洲传播时， 庆祝活动转向敬仰“教会母亲”，这是给予他们生命并且保护他们免受灾害的精神力量。这种教堂里的庆祝活动不断与“拜望双亲日”相混合。人们开始同时尊敬他们的母亲和教会。