Many Chinese people will wonder what presents to get for their moms on Mother's Day, but not many know Mother's Day is actually a festival from overseas.
Mother's Day originated (起源) in America during the early 20th century. The festival spread to China as early as the 1980s and was widely accepted.
Why did a foreign festival become popular in China? In fact, Chinese traditional culture has always encouraged filial (孝顺的) devotion to parents. There are many stories which show filial respect in ancient China. For example, the story of "Taste Liquid (液体的) Medicine for Mother" tells us the filial virtue (美德) of Emperor Wen of the Western Han dynasty. His mother had been sick for three years. He often stayed up by her bedside and cared for her day and night. He tasted the liquid medicine first before she drank it. Also, mothers' love is a repeated subject in Chinese ancient poems, like "Song of the Parting Son" by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang dynasty. Now this poem is still a must in the school textbooks. Children in China are brought up with the education of filial devotion. On special days, people often use roses or forget-me-nots to express love. Carnations are considered as the perfect flowers for mothers around the world, but few know that China has its own flower for mothers — the tiger lily.
Love for mothers can have different ways of expression. What matters most is love, not the festival itself. What mothers truly want is perhaps just a simple expression of love from their children.
