About Mother
's Day
The history of Mother's Day may go back to the earliest civilizations. It is interesting to see how our current Mother's Day celebrations evolved from earlier times to what it has become today. Some believe that Mother's Day began as a pagan celebration of the Spring equinox, others that it began with the celebration of the Greek and Roman gods.
History
In Asia Minor a festival was held to honor Cybele. Cybele was a great mother to the Greek Gods. The celebration was held around the Vernal Equinox. In Greece the celebration was held from the Ides of March (March 15) to March 18. During the Roman era gifts were given to mothers in honor of Juno, who was considered to be a wonderful mother. In the 1600s the celebration was expanded and called Mothering Day. Servants and Trade Workers were allowed to return to their families to celebrate. Mothers were the guest of honor. Children brought gifts of baked goods and flowers to give to their mothers during this celebration.
Time Frame
American Settlers who came to America because they felt they were escaping the tyranny of the Crown decided to discontinue the practice of honoring mothers. They felt honor should be reserved for God. It wasn't until around 1873 when Julia Ward Howe funded the Celebration of Mothers in 18 North American Cities that Americans celebrated the day. She became outraged during the Civil War because mothers were losing their children to a horrible and bloody war. She asked mothers to band together to protest the carnage. On June 2, 1873 she was able to organize the first celebration. Sadly, once Howe stopped funding the celebrations they ended.
Effects
In 1908 Anna Reeves Jarvis died. Her daughter petitioned the Superintendent of her Church to institute a celebration for mothers. St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia held the first celebration. Mrs. Jarvis' daughter handed out white carnations to every mother in attendance. The celebration in Grafton slowly spread to other churches. West Virginia was the first state to recognize Mother's Day as a holiday in 1912. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed into law a national holiday to be celebrated the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day. Mother's Day is celebrated by different countries on a variety of days and months.
Identification
Many countries celebrate an International Mother's Day, most often on March 8. In the United States we celebrate mothers on the second Sunday in May. Churches often celebrate Mother's Day by gifting women with a red or white carnation, red for a living mother and white for a deceased mother. Celebrations often include cards sent not only to mothers but grandmothers, and even friends and other relatives. Mothers can receive expensive gifts such as diamonds or a bouquet of wild flowers picked by a small child.
Benefits
Mother's Day has become a time for families to get together. It has also become a boon to our commercial industries. More greeting cards are sold on Mother's Day than any other holiday of the year and florists also experience one of their biggest days.
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