Mothering Sunday—not Mother’s Day!

Dear Editor,

It's a small thing, but....

On a recent visit to a local NT property (Knightshayes, Devon), I was dismayed to see prominent signs in the shop for products suitable for "Mother's Day". 

The fourth Sunday in Lent (19th March this year) in the UK is officially and traditionally called Mothering Sunday: a brief search on line  will confirm Mother's Day is celebrated in the USA (& elsewhere) in May. The charming lady at the counter in the shop said she had raised this with her manager, but all the notices are sent from head office and they had no control over them. She was also niggled at this sloppiness. 

The gradual creep towards "Mother's Day" in this country is driven largely by the predominance of US owned card shops in the High Street (Clinton's, Hallmark etc) who are keen to distribute US designed cards here and blur the distinction. Alongside this is a widespread lack of knowledge about many of our traditions. 

It's only a small thing, but one would have hoped an organisation such as the National Trust might have honoured this tradition more rigorously.

Yours faithfully,

Laurence Hunt
Exeter