A Modern & Magical Mother’s Night

Mother’s Night or Mōdraniht is a lesser known holiday shrouded in mystery. Different people celebrate it on different dates. Some mark it as one of the twelve days of Yule, and there is some historical evidence that it was once celebrated this time of year, however there is only one direct mention of it in scholarship and it is exceedingly brief. It comes from the historian Bede who was an English monk and historian living in the early middle ages. Historians at that time did not, of course, remain impartial and his accounts, particularly of pagan customs, are often viewed through the lens of his occupation. All of that said, there is no reason to disbelieve his account of Mother’s Night, and there are some corroborating references that, while they don’t mention the holiday by name, do appear to reference the same tradition. Bede’s original works were in latin and translations differ somewhat, but the gist of his description is as follows:

“And the very night that is sacrosanct to us, these people [pagans] call by the heathen word Modranecht, that is, “mothers’ night”, a name bestowed, I suspect, on account of the ceremonies which they performed while watching this night through.”

All we really know for sure then is the name and that there was a ceremony of some sort. Not much to go on. However, back to those corroborating references I mentioned, scholars have suggested connections to the disir, germanic ancestral female beings, matronae known from votive inscriptions in northwestern Europe, and roman matrona. Some of the lore around these deities involved finishing all of your housework before the festivities of Yule and putting down your weaving for the holidays. (There are lots of scary old ladies who whip you if you haven’t finished your weaving in various traditions…) Across all of these disparate cultures and time periods, we see the image of a supernatural being, always an older woman. They always seems to have some sort of connection to the home and/or children. It is very possible that these “mothers” were a part of Mother’s Night.       

All of the historical cobwebs notwithstanding, there is something tantalizing about this holiday. A whole day to celebrate mother’s during the winter holidays?? At a time when mothers are so often overworked, overwhelmed, and at the brink of their mental load? That sounds magical! So instead of getting bogged down in what might or might not be historically correct, let’s bring Mother’s Night back into fashion. Let’s take a cue from the disir and put down our weaving/work, if not for all twelve nights of Yule, at least for this one night. Mother’s Night. And what better way as mothers,  to celebrate mother’s, than to indulge in some self care. Self care is so often characterized as “escaping” in the modern lexicon, when in reality people who spend their time caring for others must also nurture themselves and their souls. This can look different for different people. Make time for yourself to do whatever it is that brings you joy. Feed your soul.

Mother’s Night Self Care Ideas

1. Make time for yourself (bake, craft. read, walk, do whatever makes you happy.) Why is this this so hard to do? Schedule it on your calendar if you have to. Then do it. Make cocoa to keep you fueled.

Sip: Herbal Mother’s Cocoa 

2. Treat yo’ self. Bathes. They are a self care cliche for a reason. If bathes aren’t your thing do something else.

Make: Mother’s Night Bath Bombs

3. Find your support system. A strong support system is one of the most important parts of both self care and being a mom, and one of the most intangible. To celebrate Mother’s Night this year, bake a special Mother’s Night Friendship Cake that you pass on to others as a physical representation of your network.

Bake: Mother’s Night Friendship Cake