Mother's Day 2015: When is it – and how did it first come about?

Whole families used to rally around to celebrate Mothering Sunday

Mother's Day will be on Sunday 15 March in the UK

If you’re concerned about missing Mother’s Day, then you’d be relieved to hear that there is still enough time to get prepared.

The celebration, also known as Mothering Sunday, will be held on 15 March this year in the United Kingdom on the same date as Ireland and Nigeria.

Mother’s Day is observed on different days for each country, however most of the world including Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States celebrate it on the second Sunday of May.

During the time when young children took up work or apprenticeships away from home, Mother’s Day was often one of the only days in the whole year when families would reunite and visit church on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

As Lent would usually prohibit the eating of certain foods, the restrictions would be lifted for the day – which would have made Mothering Sunday feel a lot more special.

Sons and daughters would bake their mother a Simnel cake – fruit sponge with marzipan layers – to take back home.

The gift-giving and spending quality time with one’s mother continues to this day, albeit with much wider choice and often more expense.

Mothering Sunday was originally a time when people returned to the church where they were baptised or christened. This led adults to return to their home towns and cities en masse.