As always, Mother’s Day on May 12th falls on a Sunday. Would you like to quickly get some groceries and maybe some flowers too? These shops are open.
May 12, 2024 is Mother’s Day. If you still need groceries for brunch or Mother’s Day cake, then you’re in luck – some shops are open on Sundays. However, in large cities there are greater opportunities to quickly get the last ingredients.
There are special regulations for grocery stores in large train stations and airports. This means that you can shop there at Edeka or Rewe around the clock, every day. However, it is advisable to find out in advance whether these regulations also apply to the train station in your area.
You can also buy flowers on Mother’s Day, as flower shops also have special opening hours on Sundays. As a rule, they are allowed to open the shop for a few hours. You have a good chance of getting a bouquet of flowers, especially near cemeteries. You could also get flowers at gas stations on Mother’s Day.
The veneration of maternal virtues dates back to ancient times. During their spring festivals, the ancient Greeks, for example, paid homage to Rhea, the goddess of the earth and fertility. British historians report on “Mothering Day,” whose tradition, initially dedicated to “Mother Church,” began in the Middle Ages. Later, on this day in spring, children in particular working for wealthy families were allowed to return to their mothers. As a small gift, they brought them flowers they had picked along the way.
But Mother’s Day in its modern form originated in the United States, where the poet and women’s rights activist Julia Ward Howe called for a “Mother’s Day of Peace” in the face of war and slavery in 1870 – an idea that the feminist Anna Jarvis took up again decades later. In 1907, to honor her deceased mother and to draw attention to women’s problems, she called for a day of celebration for all mothers.
In 1914, at the request of Congress, US President Woodrow Wilson established the second Sunday in May as a national day of honor. Soon afterwards the idea reached Europe – initially to England, Scandinavia and Switzerland. In Germany, the first Mother’s Day took place on May 13, 1923 – but it was initiated by the “Association of German Flower Shop Owners” out of purely commercial interests.
The National Socialists finally declared the day a national festival in 1934, used it for their propaganda and reduced the role of women to their ability to give birth. “With every child that the woman of the nation gives birth to, she fights her fight for the nation,” emphasized Adolf Hitler.
On Mother’s Day 1939, three million women were awarded the “German Mother’s Cross of Honor” – a medal for special childbearing achievements. From the fourth child onwards, the award was given in bronze, from the sixth in silver, and for eight or more children the award was given in gold.