Introduction
Mother's Day is an annual holiday celebrated across the world honoring motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. The modern form of Mother's Day originated in the early 20th century in the United States, although celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back throughout history.
Early versions of Mother's Day were promoted by women like Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, who advocated for an official holiday as a testament to the achievements of mothers and womanhood. Their efforts helped establish Mother's Day as a national holiday in the US in the early 1900s, before it gained popularity worldwide.
Today, Mother's Day traditions like giving cards, flowers and gifts to mothers have become popular consumer events in many countries. The holiday has also evolved beyond just biological mothers to honor mother figures, maternal bonds, and the influence of women in families and society.
While the origins and symbolism of the holiday have changed over time, Mother's Day continues to be an important celebration honoring motherhood, maternal bonds, and the far-reaching impacts mothers have in shaping society.
Ancient Mother Goddess Cults
The veneration of mother goddesses dates back thousands of years in ancient cultures. In prehistoric times, female figurines like the Venus of Willendorf were created as early as 30,000 BCE, suggesting the importance of fertility and motherhood (Stuckey, [1]). Ancient civilizations like Greece, Egypt, and Rome all had mother goddess cults.
In ancient Greece, goddesses like Demeter, Rhea, and Cybele were associated with motherhood, fertility, and agriculture. The Eleusinian Mysteries honored Demeter and Persephone ([2]). In Egypt, Isis was revered as the ideal mother and wife. Cults dedicated to Isis spread throughout Greece and Rome as she became associated with devotion and salvation.
The Roman Magna Mater (Great Mother) cult worshipped Cybele, brought from Phrygia. Cybele embodied motherhood and was linked to fertility and nature. Her lover Attis reflected the dying-and-reviving god of vegetation. By the Imperial era, the Magna Mater temple was an important Roman cult site ([2]).
[1] https://jarm.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/jarm/article/download/4952/4146/4820 [2] https://www.getty.edu/news/mystery-cults-and-the-mother-goddessEarly US Mother's Day Celebrations
The earliest Mother's Day celebrations in the United States can be traced back to the 1860s and a woman named Ann Reeves Jarvis. Jarvis lived in West Virginia and created a number of women's clubs devoted to providing medical care and sanitation education for families during the Civil War era (Source). These were known as Mothers' Day Work Clubs.
Jarvis was a peace activist who cared deeply about public health and worked to lower infant mortality rates through her clubs. She organized the Mothers' Day Work Clubs to bring local women together, often incorporating the phrase "Mothers Work is Never Done." The clubs raised money for medicine and taught women how to properly care for infants and children. This early celebration of mothers was a tribute to the vital role of mothers in holding families and communities together.
While Jarvis never campaigned for an official Mother's Day holiday, her Mothers' Day Work Clubs in the 1860s were an important precursor to the later holiday, showing early appreciation for mothers in American culture.
Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation
In 1870, activist and poet Julia Ward Howe issued a "Mother's Day Proclamation" as a call for women to unite in promoting world peace. This proclamation was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War.
Howe wrote: "Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears!" She urged women to come together across national divisions to promote peace through an annual Mother's Day dedicated to peacemaking (The Original Mother's Day Proclamation).
Howe's proclamation was partly inspired by her experience meeting women on both sides of the American Civil War. She saw universal motherhood as a healing force and believed women had a responsibility to shape their societies toward peace (History of Mother's Day as a Day of Peace).
While Howe's vision did not spark an ongoing Mother's Day holiday, her proclamation was a significant early formulation of the connection between motherhood and peace activism.
Anna Jarvis Campaigns for Official Holiday
The modern celebration of Mother's Day traces back to Anna Jarvis, who dedicated herself to establishing an official Mother's Day holiday after the death of her own mother, Ann Jarvis, in 1905. Ann was a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides during the Civil War and created Mother's Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. To honor her beloved mother, Anna Jarvis began writing letters to people of influence like politicians, business owners, and ministers in her quest to make Mother's Day a nationally recognized holiday.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Jarvis organized the first official Mother's Day observance in 1908 at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. The event gained popularity, spreading to Philadelphia by 1910. Jarvis worked diligently to raise awareness, writing countless letters and giving speeches advocating for a national Mother's Day. She was determined to uphold her promise to her mother to establish a lasting day to honor mothers and motherhood.
Her persistence paid off. In 1912, West Virginia became the first state to officially recognize Mother's Day, with many other states soon following. By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
Mother's Day Becomes Official
The official national celebration of Mother's Day traces back to President Woodrow Wilson's proclamation in 1914. On May 9, 1914, President Wilson issued Proclamation 1268 declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. This was in response to years of lobbying by Anna Jarvis to establish an official Mother's Day holiday. According to the proclamation on the UCSB Presidency Project, Wilson called upon government officials to display the American flag in honor of mothers on this day. The proclamation stated that Mother's Day was established "as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country."
According to the Woodrow Wilson House, Wilson was a strong supporter of Anna Jarvis' Mother's Day campaign. On May 9, 1914, he made the official announcement from the White House proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday to be held each year on the second Sunday of May. This marked the culmination of Jarvis' decades-long efforts to establish an official Mother's Day in the United States.
Mother's Day Gains Popularity
In the early 20th century, Mother's Day began to gain widespread popularity and acceptance in American culture. The rise of commercialization helped propel Mother's Day into the mainstream. Card companies like Hallmark, printers, florists, confectioners and other retailers saw the holiday as a lucrative business opportunity. By the 1920s, Mother’s Day had become extremely commercialized with the mass production of Mother’s Day cards, candies, flowers and other gifts.
According to https://touchnote.com/us/blog/mothers-day-cards-history/, the first mass-produced Mother’s Day cards were created in the 1920s in America. Card companies realized there was a huge market for cards that people could send to their mothers to celebrate the holiday. The cards featured sentimental verses, poetry, flowers and artistic designs. Sending cards became an essential part of the Mother’s Day tradition.
Florists also saw booming business around Mother’s Day as sending flowers became customary. Candy companies began offering special assortments of chocolates and other confections for the holiday. Retailers capitalized on the gift-giving aspect by promoting jewelry, clothing, and other items as Mother’s Day presents. While Anna Jarvis deplored the commercialization, it helped solidify Mother’s Day as an annual celebration of mothers in American culture.
Anna Jarvis Turns Against Commercialization
Although Anna Jarvis was successful in her campaign to establish Mother's Day as a national holiday in the United States, she grew disenchanted with how the holiday developed in the following years. Jarvis criticized the growing commercialization of Mother's Day, objecting to the way businesses profited from the holiday through the sale of flowers, cards, and other gifts. According to the History Channel, Jarvis called the floral and greeting card industries "charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations."
Jarvis was outraged at the commercial exploitation of Mother's Day. She believed that the holiday was meant to be a sentimental, personal observance honoring mothers. In her view, the increasing commercialism corrupted the meaning of the day. Jarvis led campaigns to rescind Mother's Day as an official U.S. holiday, and even sued groups using the name. She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace at a war mothers' convention where women sold white carnations, according to National Geographic.
Despite her efforts, the commercialization of Mother's Day proved unstoppable. Jarvis was unable to prevent businesses from capitalizing on the holiday's popularity. Mother's Day spending grew rapidly, with sales of flowers, gifts, and greeting cards becoming highly profitable. Although Jarvis had founded the holiday, it took on a life of its own as businesses recognized its money-making potential.
Traditions and Symbols
Some of the most popular Mother's Day traditions and symbols include giving flowers, cards, and spending quality time together as a family. Flowers, especially carnations, are one of the most iconic gifts for moms on Mother's Day. Anna Jarvis chose the carnation as the official Mother's Day flower. Traditionally, pink and red carnations are given to living mothers, while white carnations are used to honor deceased mothers [1].
Handmade cards are another staple Mother's Day gift. Children often create cards at school or home to give to their mothers. The cards express love and appreciation through poems, drawings, and heartfelt messages. Greeting card companies also launch many new card designs annually for Mother's Day.
Spending quality family time together is central to Mother's Day celebrations. Families often gather for brunch or dinner, where the mother is treated as a guest of honor. Mothers cherish this dedicated time with their children and loved ones. Some families start the day with breakfast in bed or outdoor activities before their meal.
Mother's Day Around the World
Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, though the dates and traditions vary. In the UK, Mother's Day falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In Finland, it's the second Sunday in May. In Thailand it is celebrated on August 12th, the birthday of their beloved Queen Sirikit. In Ethiopia, Antigua and Barbuda, it aligns with International Women's Day on March 8th. Some traditions from around the world include:
In Mexico, Mother's Day (Día de las Madres) is celebrated on May 10th every year, regardless of the day of the week. It is one of the biggest and busiest holidays of the year. Many Mexicans honor their mothers and grandmothers by attending special church services, giving flowers and gifts, having family meals, or taking the mothers out to restaurants or for entertainment.[1]
In the U.S., common Mother's Day traditions include breakfast in bed, giving cards and gifts, flowers, spending quality family time together, and pampering mothers with spa treatments or other relaxing activities. For many, it is a day to honor and recognize the sacrifices mothers make for their children and families.[2]
Recent Trends
In recent years, Mother's Day has seen some notable trends emerge:
Growth of Online Gifts: According to Storyly, online searches for "Mother's Day gifts" have grown over 70% since 2015. More people are purchasing gifts for Mom online for convenience and expanded options. E-commerce retailers have capitalized on this demand by promoting Mother's Day sales and deals.
Changing Demographics: As the roles of mothers evolve, so does Mother's Day. More mothers are working, more single fathers are raising kids, and more same-sex couples are having children. Brands have adapted their Mother's Day messaging and products to be more inclusive.
Experiential Gifts: Instead of material goods, many people now prefer to gift experiences for Mother's Day like spa packages, tickets to events, travel vouchers, and dining certificates. Experiential gifts allow quality time together.
Charitable Donations: Some people donate to charities that support mothers and children as a meaningful gift. Non-profits related to maternal health, education, and women's empowerment have benefited.
DIY Gifts: Homemade gifts like photo books, handwritten cards, and crafts made by kids are a heartfelt way to celebrate. Pinterest has many DIY gift ideas for those wanting a more personal touch.
Importance of Celebrating Mothers
Mother's Day remains significant for several reasons. First, it is a day to honor the maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. Mothers make tremendous sacrifices for their children, so Mother's Day recognizes their devotion and hard work in raising families. According to one source, "The purpose of Mother's Day is to express love, appreciation, and gratitude towards mothers and mother figures for their unconditional love..." (Livemint). By celebrating mothers, we uphold the importance of motherhood and maternal care in shaping future generations.
In addition, Mother's Day celebrations help strengthen family relationships. Setting aside a special day for children to appreciate their mothers provides an opportunity to reconnect and show gratitude. Simple gestures like breakfast in bed, cards, flowers, or phone calls can mean a lot to mothers. Mother's Day reminds families to take a break and cherish the maternal bonds that hold them together amid busy lives.
Furthermore, Mother's Day highlights the contributions of women in society. Though mothers' work is often unpaid, their nurturing and caregiving sustains communities. As society evolves, Mother's Day continues to recognize mothers' many diverse roles - as biological mothers, adoptive mothers, grandmothers, or mother figures. Celebrating Mother's Day upholds respect for women's work and the sacrifices mothers make for their families.
In conclusion, Mother's Day carries deep significance. This special holiday elevates motherhood, strengthens family ties, and honors the far-reaching contributions of mothers across society. That is why Mother's Day traditions remain meaningful today.
Conclusion
In summary, Mother's Day has a long history dating back to ancient mother goddess cults. While early versions were held in the 1600s in England, the modern American celebration originated with Anna Jarvis in the early 1900s as she campaigned tirelessly for an official holiday honoring mothers. Her efforts paid off when President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day a national holiday in 1914.
Since then, Mother's Day has grown tremendously in popularity and commercialization around the world. It is now celebrated across many nations and cultures, with common traditions like giving flowers, cards, and other gifts to mothers. While some criticize the commercial aspects, Mother's Day remains significant as an opportunity to recognize the important role mothers play in nurturing children and contributing to society.
Mother's Day reminds us to show gratitude and appreciation for our mothers. The holiday carries great meaning for honoring motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence mothers have in shaping their children's lives. In celebrating Mother's Day, we celebrate an essential human relationship and an important holiday tradition.
References
Sources used for researching this article include:
- Encyclopedia Britannica entry on Mother's Day
- History.com article on the origins of Mother's Day
- Smithsonian Magazine piece on Anna Jarvis and Mother's Day
- Academic journal article on the commercialization of Mother's Day from the Journal of Consumer Culture
- CNN report on the modern evolution of Mother's Day celebrations
- BBC feature on Mothering Sunday traditions in the UK
- Textbook on the history of ancient mother goddess cults
- Tourism websites detailing Mother's Day traditions around the world
