Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is a holiday that is observed in different forms all around the world. The American
incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna
Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in
1914. While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s
Day most commonly falls on the second Sunday in
May and traditionally involves presenting mothers
with flowers, cards and other gifts.
Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be
traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who
held festivals to honor the mother goddesses Rhea
and Cybele. The clearest modern precedent for
Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known
as “Mothering Sunday.” Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular
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holiday, and children would present their mothers
with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This
custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930’s
& 40’s.
The roots of the modern American Mother’s Day
date back to the 19th century. In the years before
the Civil War (1861-65), Ann Reeves Jarvis of West
Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs”
to teach local women how to properly care for their
children. These clubs later became a unifying force
in a region of the country still divided over the Civil
War. In 1868, Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship
Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union
and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.