Mother's Day

Mother's Day is an extremely popular holiday that's sole purpose is to honor mothers. This site will discuss the origin of Mother's Day, and discuss popular Mother's Day gifts.

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Mother's Day - Overview
One of the most popular, commercially successful, cherished, and sentimental holidays of the year is Mother’s Day, a day specifically set aside to honor, celebrate, thank, and remember mothers. Everyone loves their mother and although mothers should be celebrated each and every day of the year, Mother’s Day is an extra special day when children can express their love and appreciation for their mom.

Traditionally, mothers receive a Mother’s Day card, gifts, flowers, lavishes of love and praise, and acts of kindness—particularly a day away from their regular maternal duties and other special gifts and surprises, such as getting to sleep in and breakfast in bed. There are literally thousands of ways to make Mother’s Day a truly special occasion.

Mother’s Day celebrates all mothers—mothers expecting their first child, mothers of young children, mothers of older children, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, mothers with adopted children, mothers who gave up their children for adoption, foster mothers, mothers who have no children of their own, but are like mother figures, and more.

Although Mother’s Day is always celebrated on the second Sunday in May in North America, it is also celebrated throughout the world involving many different traditions, and on different dates and times of the year.

Churches tend to make Mother’s Day a significant part of their service, if not the entire focal point, as Mother’s Day in North America always falls on a Sunday. In Catholic churches, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is particularly celebrated and honored at this time, usually during the fourth Sunday of Lent.

The amount of mail being sent and received around this time of year, as a result of Mother’s Day in the U.S., can be quite astronomical. In addition, most phone networks in North America are tied up and busiest on Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day in America is also the top holiday of the year for purchasing flowers—surpassing even Valentine’s Day. In fact, most flower vendors take advantage of this by hiking up their prices on or around Mother’s Day. Further, Mother’s Day is also the one day of the year with the most patrons in restaurants throughout North America.

History of Mother’s Day
The history of Mother’s Day is quite interesting. Many people may wonder about the history of Mother’s Day and how Mother’s Day even came about, and where and when and why it began. In fact, Mother’s Day’s origins are somewhat difficult to trace.

The reality is that Mother’s Day actually has more than one origin, and the true origin is disputed. This may partially explain why Mother’s Day is celebrated in different areas of the world on different dates and different times of the year. Thus, depending upon the culture and the country, Mother’s Day is celebrated according to local customs.

For example, many people claim that centuries before flowers and Mother’s Day cards, the history and special tradition of Mother’s Day goes back to ancient Greece, where it was the custom to worship mother-like goddesses.

Ancient Greece actually held annual festivals to honor and make offerings to Cybele, the great mother of gods, as well as Rhea, the wife of the god Cronus, who was the father of Zeus, and the mother of many deities. This festival was normally held close to the Vernal Equinox (in other words, the first day of spring, around mid-March), first in Asia Minor, and then later in Rome, Italy, where it was held from March 15 to March 18.

U.S. Origin
The history of Mother’s Day in the U.S. is actually quite interesting. In the U.S., the history of Mother’s Day actually dates back to around the late 1850’s, when homemaker Anna Jarvis created a day to raise awareness of her community’s poor health conditions and sanitation issues and called it “Mother’s Work Day.”

Then, in 1870, Julia Ward Howe, a social activist, poet, author, and pacifist, wrote the official “Mother’s Day Proclamation” during the American Civil War as a call to rally and unite all women against war and to promote peacemaking. However, Julia was ultimately not successful in achieving recognition for her Mother’s Day for Peace.

When Anna Jarvis died, her daughter Anna initiated a campaign in her mother’s memory and created a memorial day for women and mothers, which was first officially celebrated on May 10, 1908 at Anna’s church in Grafton, West Virginia, where she handed out white carnation flowers—which were her late mother’s favorite flowers—to all the mothers in the congregation. This practice is quite common even today in many churches. Further, it is not uncommon for mom’s to receive carnations for Mother’s Day today.

After that, the custom and tradition caught on like wildfire around the States and into Canada, and by 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the holiday “official.” Nine years later the special day became a full-blown, commercialized holiday in the U.S.—much to Anna Jarvis’ (the second) dismay, who became enraged at what her special day had become—a commercial, for-profit, gift-giving frenzy. Jarvis clearly wanted a day to revere mother’s everywhere, but the commercialization of Mother’s Day appalled her.

Anna actually became a vocal opponent of the day, filing a lawsuit to stop a Mother’s Day festival, getting arrested for disturbing the peace, and reportedly regretting having ever come up with the notion on her death bed in 1948.

However, to this day, while many are unfamiliar with the history of Mother’s Day, this special occasion is still celebrated throughout the world and remains wildly successful and popular.

Global Mother’s Day Traditions
Around the world, Mother’s Day is a fairly new and more recent development, involving most countries copying or borrowing the traditions from North America and the Western Civilization.

One notable exception is the United Kingdom’s Mothering Sunday, which has no direct correlation with the history of Mother’s Day, or the modern holiday in North America. Mothering Sunday originated in 17th century England, and always falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent (much like the Catholic Church tradition of honoring Mary the Mother of Christ on that day), which is earlier than Mother’s Day celebrated in the U.S., in March or April. Many historians also believe Mothering Sunday comes from the Christian practice of visiting one’s mother’s church every year on a particular day. This particular tradition is often followed by Christians even today and in North America.

Mother’s Day is celebrated annually around the world. For most countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkey, it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. It is celebrated on the first day of spring (March 21) in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and more; and on International Women’s Day (March 8), in the Ukraine, Romania, Bosnia, Albania, Bulgaria, and Vietnam. Or, even less often, Mother’s Day falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Other countries celebrate Mother’s Day on completely different dates. Norway, for example, celebrates Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in February. Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, and Spain celebrate the holiday on the first Sunday in May; South Korea on May 8, and Poland, Bolivia, France, and Nicaragua celebrate later in May.

Thailand, Costa Rica, Argentina, Russia, and Indonesia all celebrate a form of Mother’s Day much later in the year (August to December).

Gifts for Mother’s Day
In years past, gifts were not a part of Mother’s Day; however, gift giving is a major component of today’s modern celebrations and traditions. In fact, it has come to be expected—not necessarily by mothers themselves, but by society and the commercial industry. Advertising for Mother’s Day gifts often starts several months in advance, through television commercials, radio announcements, brochures, store flyers, banners, billboards, and more.

Nowadays, the Internet is also a great place to browse and shop online for whatever one might think a mother’s heart might desire—flowers can even be delivered right to one’s doorstep. People often find that shopping online is more convenient and it gives them the ability to compare prices, selection, and options for Mother’s Day gifts.

Although flowers are generally the most popular choice for Mother’s Day and Mother’s Day cards are usually considered to be a necessity, there are many other gift options as well—sometimes in addition to flowers and a Mother’s Day card. Chocolates, other favorite candy, and jewelry are very popular selections. Collectibles, perfume, candles, and potpourri are also common.

However, children and husbands are also giving things and doing things for the mothers in their lives that will make them feel special and give them a break. One good example of this type of gift is to let Mom sleep in and then bring her breakfast in bed, telling her she is exempt from all cooking and cleaning for the day.

Other ideas include giving her a night out without the kids (by herself, with girlfriends, or with her husband), and gift certificates—for her favorite restaurant, to the shopping mall, for a day at the spa, or beauty salon for a new hairdo, massage, or manicure…the options are endless; and people seem to be trying to be even more creative and find something that is unique and appropriate for their mom’s personality and tastes. Some individuals that buy Mother’s Day gifts even plan mini-vacations for their moms, or give them tickets to see operas, plays, and musicals.

Finding the perfect gift for Mom for Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be complicated or even expensive—although certainly retailers will tell consumers otherwise!

Mother’s Day Card
The Mother’s Day card is considered just as, if not more, important than a Mother’s Day gift or flowers. If you don’t have a Mother’s Day card to give to your mother on that most important day, it is almost seen as a slap in the face. Husbands go to great lengths to ensure their wives (if they’re mothers) get the perfect card. They will also help the younger children make an age-appropriate card for their mother. Teenage and adult children shop for just the right Mother’s Day card, as well.

All commercial markets and stores will play it up and market their selection of “must-have” Mother’s Day greeting cards, starting months in advance of the actual event. In all likelihood, stores normally won’t offer special deals or sales, because, quite frankly, they know you will want to and need to buy your mother, wife, grandmother, or aunt a card.

Mother’s Day cards come in all shapes and sizes, styles, colors, designs, and price ranges. There are sentimental and humorous Mother’s Day cards. People may look for the perfect Mother’s Day card that expresses one’s sentiments exactly, or the relationship with one’s mother perfectly, or instead, they may choose a blank card to write a personal message.

In addition, consumers can use their computer, the Internet, and printer to create a personalized do-it-yourself Mother’s Day card or send their mother a custom-made e-card via e-mail. Some of these options are free; others cost a membership or other fee.

Finally, for those who would rather spend time and energy rather than money, and don’t want to use the computer or don’t have one, they can create their own Mother’s Day card with whatever they can find lying around the house.

Mother’s Day Flowers
By far the most popular gift for Mother’s Day is flowers; this could be due to the original carnation giving tradition started by Jarvis. Flowers are considered to be a simple and beautiful way to say, “I appreciate you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you,” in addition to the Mother’s Day card for all types and ages of mothers.

Flower vendors throughout North America usually report they make more sales on or around Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year. Many flower vendors may raise their prices for this special occasion, as flowers are in big demand for Mother’s Day. Sometimes consumers can avoid this price increase by ordering their flowers well in advance of the day.

The most popular flowers given on Mother’s Day are roses, carnations, daisies, gerbera daisies, lilies, and tulips. Many opt for a basket or large bouquet of flowers with an assortment of flowers, while others choose a single flower of their mother’s favorite.

One tradition regarding flowers and Mother’s Day is that many Christian churches give away a single flower (usually a pink or red rose or carnation) at the beginning or end of their Sunday service on Mother’s Day to all mothers, expectant mothers, and mother figures. Another tradition involving flowers is that several funeral and memorial homes offer a free single rose or carnation for people to pick up and bring to the graves of their mothers who have passed away. For that matter, for those individuals that have mother’s that have passed on, many choose to leave bouquets and floral wreaths on the graves of their mother on Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day Difficulty and Tributes
Mother’s Day is not a joyous day for everybody. Many people have a hard time celebrating this normally happy day, and they tend to fall into two different categories. The first category is children whose mothers have passed away. The second category of people who may have difficulty with Mother’s Day are women who have had miscarriages or are infertile.

Mothers who don’t have and can’t have children tend to cope with Mother’s Day by focusing on celebrating their own mothers. Those without mothers often spend part of the day at the grave of their deceased mother, or distance themselves from the holiday, or focus on others in their lives who are mother-type figures.

Tributes to mothers who have passed on or acknowledgement of those who can’t have children are becoming more popular as a part of Mother’s Day, either in family gatherings, church services, or even at funeral homes. Families may personalize their own loss of a mother with a trip to the grave, a moment of silence, a reading of a favorite poem, or a sharing of memories. In churches, the pastor may publicly acknowledge mothers from the congregation who have died.

Funeral and memorial homes, in particular, sometimes offer special Mother’s Day services geared toward family members who have lost mothers, as a way of honoring, remembering, and paying tribute to their mothers.


Trivia

There is much trivia to be found about Mother’s Day or related to this special occasion.

Eve, from Genesis in the Bible, is known as the “Mother of All the Living.”

Mother Earth is also referred to as “Terra Firma”—the Latin translation taken from one of Homer’s poems.

Mother Goose is considered to be the most popular, cherished, and beloved of children’s books of all time.

Flowers for Mother’s Day in the U.S. come primarily from the state of California, as well as from Colombia in South America. There are close to 25,000 florists or flower vendors across the U.S.

Mother’s Day card publishers also make a whopping amount of money on this special occasion. In 1992, for example, greeting card publishers shipped a total value of close to $150 million in Mother’s Day cards—up from about $80 million only five years earlier.
The U.S. Postal Service was delayed in its mail delivery for eight days in 1973, because of the amount of mail circulating around during that time—letters, cards, and packages for mothers all across the country.

According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the Great Mother Kali Ma invented writing, through alphabets, pictographs, and sacred images.

The history of Mother’s Day in England (“Mothering Sunday,” birthed during the 1600’s) involved freeing servants for the day to travel home to visit their mothers and families and bring them cakes and other sweets, hence it was called “going a-mothering.”

Besides Mother’s Day and Mothering Sunday, this holiday also goes by the names of Muttertag, La Festa della Mamma, Fête des Mères, Shevat, Parents’ Day, Jumada al-thani, International Women’s Day, Den Matek, Yaum al-Umm, and Día de las Madres, among many others.


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