Mothers' Day

Today is Mothers' Day, or more properly Mothering Sunday.

Buns with pink icing are a traditional ritual food for Mothering Sunday, and it is interesting to see that Asda supermarket has put cakes with pink icing on the cover of its Mothers' Day magazine.

Within the magazine Asda talks about a "Mother's Day tea" which is says is a "very British tradition".

That families gather on Mothers Day (I am leaving off the apostrophe as it is unclear where it should go) is established, although I am not sure whether dissenting areas such as Scotland and Wales are so keen on the ritual day - it is associated with the Anglican church.

That "tea" (a meal with cakes and tea) is an afternoon ritual is equally established.

What Asda seems to have (very cleverly) done is to merge the English celebration of Mothering Sunday with the British tradition of afternoon tea and repackage it as "a very British tradition" (although a tradition that is new).

From an anthropological point of view this is extremely interesting - this is how ritual behaviour develops.