The ancient Greeks were among the first to pay tribute to mothers.
Their spring festival honored Rhea the mother of all Greek Gods, sometimes known as Cybele and often depicted as a Mother Nature figure flanked by lions.
But the
precursor to the American holiday, Mother’s Day, was called Mothering Sunday and was praticed in medieval times. During this holiday on the fourth Sunday of
Lent, Britain servants were allowed to travel home and spend the day with their
mothers.
The modern Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis. Anna admired her mother, Ann Reeves- Jarvis
who had tended to the wounded during the American civil war and later became a
community activist. When young Anna was twelve it is believed that she heard
her mother pray that one day there would be a day honoring the mothers
everywhere for all their good works. Anna never forgot that prayer and when her
mom died in May of 1905 the plan for a holiday was born. On the second anniversary
of her mom’s death, Anna held a church memorial dedicated to her mother’s good
deeds. In May of 1908 Anna held another memorial and handed out white carnations,
her mother’s favorite flower.
Shortly after she contacted philanthropist and Philadelphia department store owner, John Wanamaker and they formed a Mother’s Day committee in hopes of honoring all mother’s all across the nation.
Shortly after she contacted philanthropist and Philadelphia department store owner, John Wanamaker and they formed a Mother’s Day committee in hopes of honoring all mother’s all across the nation.
In 1910 West Virginia became the first state to observe the
second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. After a fierce letter writing campaign using
the argument that most all holidays were male-based, Anna got Congress to
federally recognize the holiday. In 1914 President
Woodrow Wilson signed the bill that made the second Sunday in May officially
Mother’s Day. The holiday was meant to
be spent in church, after which sons and daughters would write loving letters
to their mothers. Carnations were worn that day, pink or red honored living
mothers, white honored mom’s who had passed.
As the years passed, more and more
carnations were sold. By 1920, greeting card and candy companies got into the
Mother’s Day biz. Anna was not happy with the commercialization of the day and
spent the rest of her life attempting to have it removed from the American
calendar.
But thanks to Anna's love of her mother, millions of moms receive love
and attention on Mother’s Day.
We wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day…
“SPARKLE THE WORLD”
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