The Story of Mother's
Day
 The earliest Mother's
Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor
of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering
Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to
Easter), "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.
During this time many of the
England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from
their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday
the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day
with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought
along to provide a festive touch.
As Christianity spread
throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church"
- the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the
church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring
their mothers as well as the church.
In the United States
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 ever 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.
Ms. Jarvis and her
supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to
establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was
celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, 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, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which
also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
 
Thank you sweet Tee for this lovely award.
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