The History Of Mother’s Day
We all know Mother’s Day as the one day per year (this year it’s happening on May 12) we get to celebrate mothers and everything they do for us. But how much do you know about how it all started?
Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became a U.S. observed holiday in 1914. Presently, this holiday has become majorly commercial. Mother’s Day usually consists of buying a mother’s day gift, usually a piece of jewelry, mother’s day cards, flowers or chocolates that signify our love for our Moms. And why not? Moms do a lot and they deserve one day each year where it’s just about them. But early on in its creation, Anna Jarvis actually grew to resent the commercialism of Mother’s Day and tried to remove it from the calendar.
People throughout history have always celebrated their mothers. Ancient Greeks and Romans used to celebrate their mothers through festivals that would honor Rhea and Cybele who were mothering goddesses. Also the Christian Festival known as “Mothering Sunday” was celebrated throughout Europe. “Mothering Sunday,” was a day where people would congregate in the biggest, most central churches for a special service. Children would also give their mothers special gifts to show their appreciation. This tradition would eventually merge with Anna Jarvis’ holiday in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Anna Jarvis formed “Mother’s Day Work Clubs,” in west Virginia in the 19th century. These clubs would teach women how to care for their children. Through these clubs, “Mother’s Friendship Day” was formed along with “Mother’s Peace Day.” But Jarvis wasn’t the only one who organized a holiday around mothers. Juliet Calhoun Blakely, an activist from Michigan formed a local Mother’s Day in Michigan. Also Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering both worked to organize a Mother’s Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Mother’s Day was officially initiated by Anna Jarvis and is the holiday we know today. Jarvis, who remained unmarried and childless her whole life, was determined to add her holiday to the national calendar. At that time, most holidays favoured the achievements of male counterparts. But Jarvis starting a campaign that would urge politicians to support a day that would honor women and motherhood. Mother’s Day was added to the calendar in 1914 and was celebrated widely across the United States.
Now Mother’s Day is a major holiday that mothers and their families look forward to every year. There are so many products and gifts that are geared towards Mother’s Day, the sky’s the limit, you could even get her an acupuncture treatment! Although Mother’s Day is a very commercial holiday, Jarvis never intended that to be the case. In 1920 at the height of Mother’s Day commercialism, Jarvis denounced the holiday and urged people to stop buying cards, flowers and chocolates. She even formed a campaign against Mother’s Day and launched lawsuits against groups who used the “Mother’s Day” name. When she died in 1948, she disowned the holiday once and for all. But even though the creator of Mother’s Day doesn’t approve of the holiday itself, it hasn’t stopped people all over the world from making Mother’s Day a day to show you’re mother how much you care. Happy Mother’s Day 2019!
There are so many great ways to celebrate Mother’s Day in San Diego. How are you going to honor mom?