Mother's Day Origins and Traditions

The history of Mother's Day is traced from the mother of the Greek Gods, Rhea, to the founder of Modern Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis.

Mother's Day, like Valentine's Day, has often been written off as something invented by business companies to boost their sales in flowers, cards, cakes and other gifts. Despite the commercialism attached to it, following the American tradition, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.

Mother's Day in Ancient Greece

The origins of Mother's Day can be traced back to ancient times, the earliest celebration in Ancient Greece with the spring festival dedicated to Rhea, the mother of the Greek gods Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. This was carried through to the Romans who celebrated a similar festival to Cybele, the mother of the Roman gods.

Christians Honor Mothers

The first major group to establish a tribute to honor their mothers were Christians who dedicated the fourth Sunday of the holy period Lent to Mary, the mother of Jesus. This led to the setting up of Mother's Day in the 17th century, retaining the fourth Sunday of Lent, except this time, honoring a spread to celebrate mothers in general and not just figureheads.

Mother's Day Historical Beginnings in the U.S.

• In 1858, Anna Jarvis (Senior), an Appalachian housemother, decided to organize a day "Mother's Work Days" to rally mothers in her town to improve the living conditions for all citizens.

• Some years later, in 1872, a Boston poet and suffragist Julia Ward Howe also established a special day for mothers and for peace.

• When Anna Jarvis died in 1905, her daughter, also named Anna, decided to continue her mother's activism. A year after her mother's death a memorial service was held where Jarvis handed out her late mother's favorite flower, a white carnation.

• Jarvis's campaign and lobbying paid off when five years later the US House of Congress adopted a resolution declaring all government workers should wear a white carnation on Mother's Day. By 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed off on a bill that made Mother's Day a national holiday.

The Irony of Anna Jarvis as Mother's Day Founder

When the greater public adopted the celebration they moved away from Jarvis's idea of going to church. Instead, people started to give gifts and cards, which immensely outraged Jarvis as she believed the sentiment of the day was being spoiled.
In 1923, Jarvis filed a law suit to stop a Mother's Day Festival. She was later arrested for disturbing the peace at a convention while selling carnation for a war mother's group. Despite her efforts, the trend has spread around the world.

As for Anna Jarvis, founder of our modern Mother's Day, she died in 1948, on her deathbed proclaiming that she regretted ever inventing Mother's Day.

Mother's Day Celebrations Worldwide

The British still celebrate this same holiday on the fourth Sunday of Lent, while most countries worldwide take their maternal celebration dated from the modern American version of the event.
In summary, regardless of its dubious history, and no matter how one chooses to celebrate the event, the underlying sentiment of Mother's Day remains as a special holiday to honor all mothers, to show love and appreciation to beloved mothers.

The important thing is to make a mother feel very special by taking delight on Mother's Day to indulge mums/moms an undivided attention and love - something daughters or sons most likely rarely do in their busy life these days.


(This is a shorter version from a piece I originally published for Suite101.com now close. My resources come from personal notes through the years. / Tel)

(c)  Tel Asiado.  Written for InspiredPenWeb.com.  All rights reserved.