The History of Mother’s Day

Did you get a Mother’s Day gift for that special woman in your life? A few more weeks to go and its time to celebrate her big day – a time when we thank her for bringing us to this world, for taking care of us until we were mature enough to handle the physical and emotional challenges of life, and for being our first teacher. But do you know how the celebration of Mother’s Day started? Let’s take a short visit in history.

Mother’s Day is observed by many countries in the world and is celebrated in different days. In Britain and Ireland, Mothering Sunday (their version of Mother’s Day) is celebrated three weeks before Easter Sunday while Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. In other countries, Mother’s Day usually falls in December, August or October.

Mother’s day in the US was imported from the British by an activist named Julia Ward Howe and was originally intended as a call to unite women against war. Her work was continued by Ann Jarvis who united women and attempted to improve sanitation through the program she called “Mother’s Work Days”. When she died, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, rallied to have a memorial day for women. The first official Mother’s Day in the US was declared in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson. Mothers often get gifts during this special day. At present, Mother’s day is considered as the most popular day of the year when families dine out to a restaurant in the United States.

Mother’s Day in the US has become so commercialized that when this day approaches, we see Mother’s day baskets sold in many stores. Flowers for mothers are still the top choices for Mother’s day because of the inherent meaning that flowers and colors have.

What gift are you planning to give your mom this Mother’s day? Personally, I like taking her for a nice dinner and of course, a bouquet of flowers. My sisters, who are still very young, and my father make sure that everything in the house is in order – that the laundry is washed, hanged and ironed; the floors are swept and waxed; the dishes are washed and put away; the yard mowed and the garden weeded; and of course, the complimentary breakfast in bed. My mom feels really special during this day but she complains, because she wishes that everyday is Mother’s day.