Rome dedicates a special present to all mothers for Mother’s Day. This year Mother’s Day is celebrated, as tradition, on the second Sunday in May and it falls on the 14th. And Rome, as every year, has a special present for all Mothers… and for all those who love flowers. If you are planning a visit, do include a quick tour at the Rose Garden! Rome’s special present for Mother’s Day, the Rose Garden!
The Origins of Mother’s Day
In a way, the origins of this celebration are very ancient. They date back to the Greco-Roman times. At the time mothers were celebrated during the numerous festivals linked to female fertility. Traces of these celebrations were lost in the Middle Ages and Renaissance where the only ‘mother-themed’ festivals were those linked to the motherhood of the Madonna. The tradition of celebrating mothers was then revived in the early 1900s in the United States and President Woodrow Wilson made the holiday official in 1914, establishing that the holiday would be celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
Italy’s Mother’s Day
In the second half of the 1950s Italy celebrated two different Mother’s Days. The first one was organised by a priest in the town of Assisi for religious reasons. He wanted to celebrate motherhood in its Christian and inter-religious values. The other celebration originated in the region of Liguria, for commercial reasons, promoted by florists. Both were celebrated in May. This month is traditionally dedicated to the Madonna, for the former, and a period rich in flowers, for the latter. From 1959 onwards, the feast was celebrated on the 8th May before moving to the second Sunday in May as it is now.
Rome’s Rose Garden
Rome’s special present for Mother’s Day, the Rose Garden
Every year Rome prepares a special present for Mother’s day; the opening of Rome’s magnificent Rose Garden. It is a unique experience, thanks to the roses with their scents and colors.
Rome’s rose garden is located on the slopes of the Aventine Hill, in a place that was dedicated to flowers ever since the III century B.C. The Roseto is now home to around 1,100 species of roses from all over the world, even from China and Mongolia.
Among the most curious are the roses with green petals, one which changes color with the passing of the days and the one that has a bad smell.
If you are in Rome in this month of May…. Do take a moment to come around and see one of the largest collections of botanical roses, both ancient and modern and visit Rome’s special present for Mother’s Day.
