The history of Mother's Day is centuries old and goes back to the times of ancient Greeks, who held festivities to honor Rhea, the mother of the gods. The early Christians celebrated the Mother's festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. Interestingly, later on a religious order stretched the holiday to include all mothers, and named it as the Mothering Sunday. The English colonists settled in America discontinued the tradition of Mothering Sunday because of lack of time. In 1872 Julia Ward Howe organized a day for mothers dedicated to peace. It is a landmark in the history of Mother's Day.
In 1907, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia schoolteacher, began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She solicited the help of hundreds of legislators and prominent businessmen to create a special day to honor mothers. The first Mother's Day observance was a church service honoring Anna's mother. Anna handed out her mother's favorite flowers, the white incarnations, on the occasion as they represent sweetness, purity, and patience. Anna's hard work finally paid off in the year 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.
Slowly and gradually the Mother's day became very popular and gift giving activity increased. All this commercialization of the Mother's day infuriated Anna as she believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.
Regardless of Jarvis's worries, Mother's Day has flourished in the United States. Actually, the second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year. Although Anna may not be with us but the Mother's day lives on and has spread to various countries of the world. Many countries throughout the world celebrate Mother's Day at various times during the year, but some such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
In 1907, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia schoolteacher, began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She solicited the help of hundreds of legislators and prominent businessmen to create a special day to honor mothers. The first Mother's Day observance was a church service honoring Anna's mother. Anna handed out her mother's favorite flowers, the white incarnations, on the occasion as they represent sweetness, purity, and patience. Anna's hard work finally paid off in the year 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.
Slowly and gradually the Mother's day became very popular and gift giving activity increased. All this commercialization of the Mother's day infuriated Anna as she believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.
Regardless of Jarvis's worries, Mother's Day has flourished in the United States. Actually, the second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year. Although Anna may not be with us but the Mother's day lives on and has spread to various countries of the world. Many countries throughout the world celebrate Mother's Day at various times during the year, but some such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
THE MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION
Julia Ward Howe’s is best known for writing famous poem, ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’. Julia Howe’s ‘Mother's Day Proclamation’ was one of the earliest calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States. Written in 1870, Howe's Proclamation was a reaction to the destruction caused by American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. Julia witnessed some of the worst effects of the war. It was not only the death and diseases, which killed and maimed the soldiers. Working with the widows and orphans of soldiers made her realize that effect of war go beyond the loss of soldiers’ life in battle. Distressed by her experience and the realities of war, in 1870 Julia Ward Howe took up a new cause. Seeing Franco-Prussian War inevitable, she called for women to rise up and oppose the war in all its forms. She wanted women from all around the world to come together to recognize what we hold in common above what divides us, and commit to finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts. She issued a Proclamation in hope to gather women together to share the responsibility of shaping the society at political level. This powerful proclamation advocated the need for official Mother’s Day celebration. She was the first person in US to recognize the need for Mother’s Day holiday.
Following this Proclamation, in 1872 the Mother's Peace Day Observance was held on the second Sunday in June. Such observances became common and paved the way for Mothers' Day Holiday in US. Though she failed in her attempt to get formal Mother's Day for Peace, she is known for her significant contributions towards this day. Later it was in 1914, Anna Jarvis succeeded in declaring Mother’s Day as official holiday.
The modern Mother’s Day celebration with flowers, gifts has little resemblance to Howe’s original idea. Here is the Proclamation that explains, which explains the goals of Mother's Day in the United States.
Following this Proclamation, in 1872 the Mother's Peace Day Observance was held on the second Sunday in June. Such observances became common and paved the way for Mothers' Day Holiday in US. Though she failed in her attempt to get formal Mother's Day for Peace, she is known for her significant contributions towards this day. Later it was in 1914, Anna Jarvis succeeded in declaring Mother’s Day as official holiday.
The modern Mother’s Day celebration with flowers, gifts has little resemblance to Howe’s original idea. Here is the Proclamation that explains, which explains the goals of Mother's Day in the United States.
Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise then...women of this day!Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant
agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with
carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity,
mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosum of a devastated Earth a voice goes
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosum of a devastated Earth a voice goes
up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the
anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and
commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as
to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress,
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress,
not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I
earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of
That a general congress of women without limit of
nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed
most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different
nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
MOTHERING SUNDAY The early Christians in England celebrated the Mother's festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter) to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. Interestingly, later on a religious order stretched the holiday to include all mothers, and named it as the Mothering Sunday. People working out of their homes were expected to return to the "mother" church (the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm). It also became an occasion for family reunions. Besides attending church services in honor of the Virgin Mary, children (particularly those working as domestic servants, or as trainees, being given the day off to visit their mother and family) used to come back home with gifts, flowers, and unique Mothering Day cakes and spend the day with their mothers. Today, the Mother's Day is a day when children give presents, flowers, and home made cards to their mothers to express their love.
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