It's Mother's Day in the Philippines - 'Read All About It'

"Filipinos mark Mother’s Day today, May 10, 2009"
mb.com.ph, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (May 10, 2009)

That date is accurate: by now, today's tomorrow in the Philippines. It's an International Dateline thing.

"The Philippines joins the family of nations today in paying tribute to the blessedness of motherhood on Mother's Day, honoring mothers for keeping their children the focus of their lives, walking with them through their storms, and being there for them as they face the world in their growing years.

"A little-known event until the proclamation of then United States President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 declaring the second Sunday of May as 'Mother’s Day,' it has since then covered a lot of market ground, propelling families into consumer-shopping frenzy, virtually throwing the day’s noble significance into oblivion.

"Flowers, chocolate bars, and handmade love notes will stream into ancestral homes of mothers and grandmothers today, which will serve as another festive occasion for family reunions...."

The article's a pretty good look at Mother's Day, as seen from the Philippines. There's a pretty good summary of the history of the day: and a look at what happens at Catholic churches this weekend.

My family - the one I married into - is having another of their annual get-togethers, about a hundred miles down the road from here. I couldn't make it this time - maybe next year. It looks like this sort of thing is common in the Philippines, too.