Benefit + Awareness Month

Blue Sunday: the Tea Party for M.E.

One of the beloved community celebrations for the ME community is ‘Blue Sunday’, which falls on the Sunday closest to May 12th International Awareness Day for ME & FM. The idea is simple: to make Awareness events accessible for as many people as possible, including chronically ill people who are homebound or bedbound.

This year on Sunday, May 14th, join Opera Mariposa – and people all around the world – to have a cup of tea for a cause:

  • Dig out your best cups and saucers
  • Wear something blue (yes, pyjamas count!)
  • Buy or bake a favourite treat
  • Post a photo of your personal home “tea party” to social media using the hashtags #TeaPartyForME2023 and #BlueSunday2023 (and tag #MariposaBlueSunday if you want a chance to be featured by Mariposa!)
  • If you can, donate the price you’d pay in a café to our charity fundraiser! (Hint: you can even enter our prize draw to win an amazing basket of organic teas by local tea company Chai Ghai, to replenish your stock!)
  • Build community by commenting on other people’s photos and posts from around the world!

Access: Please participate however works best for you, and adapt any elements as needed. Donating is appreciated, but only if you are in the position to do so – raising awareness helps as well!

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How did Blue Sunday start?

Blue Sunday originated in 2012, when the UK’s Anna Redshaw was seeking a way to celebrate her birthday while being severely ill with ME. Unable to mark the occasion as she had in the past, she asked family and friends to hold a virtual birthday party by posting photos and videos of themselves raising mugs of tea and enjoying cake. As she explained, “It felt so wonderful to feel connected with my loved ones when I was unable to leave the house or have any visitors.”

As May Awareness Month approached, Anna was trying to think of a way to mark the occasion, when many fundraising efforts (such as marathons) were inaccessible to people like her. She remembered her birthday party – and thus, Blue Sunday was born. From its humble origins, it has grown to become an annual event celebrated worldwide, which welcomes and connects many people who would otherwise be left out of many social events. So far, it has raised over £70,000 for ME charities around the world.

Discover the story behind Blue Sunday on ‘M.E. myself and I‘.

Closeup of tea in a rose-patterned Royal Albert teacup, surrounded by a spread of scones, buns and chocolate biscuits on a white tablecloth strewn with bluebells.
Image description: Closeup of tea in a rose-patterned Royal Albert teacup, surrounded by a spread of scones, buns and chocolate biscuits, on a white tablecloth strewn with bluebells.

Discover Blue Sunday

Use #MariposaBlueSunday if you’d like to be featured!

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