The original custom practiced on Mid-Lent Sunday was for parishioners to visit their mother church (i.e. the pioneering or mission church in a region), and to make offerings there. That custom, in turn, developed into a custom of visiting one's parents, and took on the name of Mothering Day.
The Mid-Lent Sunday is known on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar as Laetare Sunday, honoring the Virgin Mary. The name "Laetare" derives from the Latin word for "rejoice".
Mid-Lent Sunday is also known by an array of other names. It is variously known as Pudding Pie Sunday, Rose Sunday, Refreshment Sunday, Simnel Sunday (named for the Simnel Cake, a light fruit cake covered in marzipan, that was eaten at Easter), and the Sunday of the Five Loaves.
