Mother's Day
Somehow, it always comes as a surprise - Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. Flower shops tend to be prepared well in advance. Is it all just commercialism?
Mother's Day comes to Germany
Mother's Day was started in the US more than 100 years ago. German florists immediately recognized its potential, and the association of German flower shops decided to intensely promote the tradition. On May 13, 1923, it was celebrated in Germany for the very first time.
Upswing during Nazi era
The National Socialists took a shine to the idea of Mother's Day, even declaring it a public holiday. And they went even further. From 1939 onward, they awarded the "Mother's Cross" for special merit on Mother's Day. The lucky laureates were German mothers who had given birth to four or more children of "pure race."
Artificial flowers for donations
A different idea was prevalent in post-war West Germany. The health of mothers was in focus, and many were sent for treatment at health resorts. The wife of former President Theodor Heuss, Elly Heuss-Knapp (above right), founded the Müttergenesungswerk, a foundation for the recovery of mothers, in 1950. Donations were made on Mother's Day, and people were rewarded with cloth flowers.
Cooking pot as a gift
"No heart of butter, rights for the mother," reads this heart-shaped placard. Feminists in the 1970s and '80s disliked the glorification of motherhood. And on Mother's Day, they demanded more than just a bunch of flowers. "On Mother's Day, we want to get a bunch of flowers, a cooking pot and chocolates to help us deal with the double stress of work and household," they wrote on flyers in 1971.
'Not just flowers - we want rights'
During the 1980s, Mother's Day turned into a day of protest. Thousands of women, and also a few men, gathered in the then-capital Bonn demanding more rights for women.
Celebration for all women
In the former East Germany, however, Mother's Day received hardly any attention. It was even officially rejected in favor of International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8. That holiday, in turn, had no significance in West Germany.
No gratitude
Mother's Day has come under fire over and over again, with critics claiming that mothers were being thanked only once a year while being exploited as the family's cleaning lady and cook on the remaining 364 days.
To gift or not to gift
And today? According to a representative survey from German press agency dpa, one out of five adults sees no reason why they should give a gift to their mother. Another survey conducted by a parents' organisation found that few mothers dream of chocolate, flowers or drawings from their children. Instead, they would rather enjoy a day together with their family - or simply a day for themselves.