Did you know that it is Mother's day in France today?

La fête des mères is a tradition that goes back to the ancient Greeks and appeared in England in the 15th century when it was called Mothering Sunday, it became official in the UK in 1914.
It started being mentioned in France in the early 20th century but officially, in 1929, and was called: la journée des mères. Under le régime de Vichy, in 1941, le maréchal Pétain asked for it to be put in the calendar ( le calendrier) and became la fête des mères. It became a law in 1950 and it was decided it would take place on the last Sunday in May unless it coincided with Whitsun ( la Pentecôte) in which case it would be a week later. This is exactly what has happened this year so today: dimanche 3 juin, c'est la fête des mères!
Of course, children make cards and presents at school and give them to their mothers, here is an example:


If you would like to find out more about France, think of joining one of our French tuition classes in Bristol or in Bath. For more info...