Mother's Day is on Sunday 30th March this year, a day when we can show how much we appreciate the love, care and dedication shown by mums of all generations. Flowers, cards, gifts, chocolates, a lunch with the family, spending time together to share old memories and make new ones. But how and when did it start?

In the middle ages, Christians would visit the church in which they had been baptised, their "mother church" on Mothering Sunday. This was held on the fourth Sunday in Lent, Laetare or "refreshment" Sunday, traditionally a day of respite from the forty days fasting, with associations to the feeding of the five thousand.

References linking this day with mothering go back as far as the 8th century, with the Church and Virgin Mary symbolising motherhood. The tradition continued throughout the centuries, with children gathering violets for their mothers, and the gift of confectionary like Simnel cake, a fruit cake layered with almond paste, and with eleven almond paste balls as decoration to represent the 11 disciples (Judas being excluded). Some people also baked "mothering buns", plain iced breakfast buns sprinkled with hundreds and thousands.

A movement to expand the celebration in the US from 1913 made the day increasingly popular, becoming the more secular "Mother's Day" since the 1950's, with little or no reference to the church for the majority of people. Instead, it provides an opportunity to celebrate the contribution and influence of motherhood both within the family and in wider society.

Craftypups have handmade, practical and thoughtful gifts for mothers and grandmas - browse our collection of Gifts for Her - there's plenty of time to order before Sunday 30th March!