It’s Mothers’ Day here in Singapore, and in typical Tan family fashion, we celebrated by having a big dim sum buffet lunch at the Chinese restaurant over at Regent Hotel. All twenty-nine of us (two cousins and my sister Vicki were absent).
Needless to say, my mother and I are now on a vegetable soup diet, which began as of dinnertime today. It’s not too bad, really. It tastes like borsch but without the meat and sour cream.
While Down Under I took the time to read about the origins of Mothers’ Day. I’ve just found a similar writeup on the web:
‘…it is Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia who is credited with bringing about the official observance of Mother’s Day. Her campaign to establish such a holiday began as a remembrance of her mother, who died in 1905 and who had, in the late 19th century, tried to establish “Mother’s Friendship Days” as a way to heal the scars of the Civil War.’
However, towards the end of her life, Anna became disillusioned due to the growing commercialisation of Mothers’ Day. She said she was sorry she even started it: “This is not what I intended,” Jarvis said. “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit.” Read more.
I didn’t spend much money on Mothers’ Day this time. I bought mum a huge bar of Toblerone but instead of saying ‘Toblerone’, it spelt ‘ToMummmmmm’. I bought it at a Woolworth’s (I think).
To all the mothers in the world: We love you!
Comments
Thanks for the post, there was also an article in Sunday Plus on the real meaning of mother’s day, along the same lines as your excerpt. My sis & me took my mum to a dinky but wicked Jap yakitori restaurant at Cuppage Plaza — Kazu. In the afternoon, visited my grandma’s funeral tablet/urn and gave carnations.It was a day of remembrance for the other mum no longer with us.