This Sunday is Mothering Sunday in the UK. The one day that we give our mums a day off mothering us, and treat them like royalty.

MyHealthPortal was curious to know where this important celebration of motherhood began and why.

The holiday is celebrated in many places all over the world, albeit on different days. Countries as diverse as Iran, Russia and Ecuador (to name but a few) all have a Mothers Day celebration.

In fact, the day has a number of different origins.

A festival of Mother Worship was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually this tradition spread to Rome where the festival ran from March 15^th to 18^th. The Romans also had another holiday called Matronalia where mothers were given gifts.

Mothering Sunday is commonly called "Mothers' Day" in the United Kingdom. It falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday).

In the 16th Century, on this Sunday in Lent, people would visit their mother church. Anyone who did this was commonly said to have gone 'a-mothering'. This practice meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. If you were a young apprentice or a young women in servitude you would be released by your master that weekend in order to visit your family.

Nowadays, the holiday in the UK exists to thank mothers and celebrate motherhood.

In the United States, Mother's Day was originally conceived by social activist Julia Ward during the American Civil War with a call to unite women against war. Although she failed to have the idea implemented, the idea was campaigned for by the daughter of one of her influences, Anna Jarvis, and the first celebrated Mothers Day was in Grafton, West Virginia. Mothers Day then spread throughout the other states.

Now in both the UK and the USA, Mothers’ Day is a highly commercialised celebration. In the USA, it is the most popular day of the year to eat in a restaurant.

However, showing your mum that you love her, does not need a big spend. Breakfast served in bed with some daffodils from the garden can make her happier than a meal in a swish restaurant.

Your mum just wants to be appreciated.