The Story of Mother's Day

In the United State Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's day meetings in Boston, Mass every year.

        In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

        Ana Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successfully accomplished by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

        While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Australia, Belgium, and Turkey which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

        The first celebration to Mothers day was celebrated to an ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. In the 1600's, in England a "Mothering Sunday" was celebrated. It was celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period before Easter), "Mothering Day" honored the mothers of England.

        During the 1600's many of England's poor people worked as servants for all the wealthy people. Since most of the jobs were far from their homes, the servants would stay an live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the wealthy people would give the servants the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. They usually made a special cake, called the mothering cake, which was often brought to the festive.

        As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to "Mother Church"- which meant the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. As time went by the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration. People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.