The proverbial “first word” of an infant often sounds like “ma” or “mama”.
This strong association of that sound with “mother” has persisted in nearly every language on earth, countering the natural localization of language.
Familiar or colloquial terms for mother in English are:
• Aama or Mata used in Nepal
• Mom and Mommy are used in the United States, Canada, South Africa, India and parts of the West Midlands including Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
• Inay, Nanay, Mama, Ma, Mom, Mommy are used in the Philippines
• Mum and Mummy are used in the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Ireland. Charles, Prince of Wales publicly addressed his mother Queen Elizabeth II as “Mummy” on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
• Ma, Mam, and Mammy are used in Netherlands, Ireland, the Northern areas of the United Kingdom, and Wales, and it is also used in some areas of the United States.
Mother’s Day is celebrated in more than 46 countries throughout the world.
On this day, many people pray in churches in honor of mothers, while some gift them presents on this day to express their love. Some may have dinner at home with the family.
One of the most popular ways people celebrate Mother’s Day is by giving their mother a card and bouquet of flowers.
As it is a holiday, some people prefer to go out for a picnic to celebrate this festival.
In schools, kids dedicate poems to their mothers and also perform various roles on this day.
Mother’s Day in Canada is celebrated on the second Sunday in May (it is not a public holiday), and typically involves small celebrations and gift-giving to one’s mother, grandmother, or other important female figures in one’s family.
Celebratory practices are very similar to those of other western nations.
A Québécois tradition is for Québécois men to offer roses or other flowers to the women.
Source: Wikipecia.
