Mother's Day: The Celebration of the Wonderful Motherhood

Honouring and celebrating the beautiful bond of love shared between kids and mothers is Mother’s Day. People around the world celebrate Mother’s Day and traditions vary depending on the country.

For instance, Thai people celebrate Mother’s Day in August on the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Mother of all Thai people. In the UK, it has always celebrated three weeks before Easter. In Ethiopia, a three-day celebration called “Antrosht“. Every mid-fall, families gather to sing songs and enjoy a great meal as part of a celebration of motherhood. It has celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year in the US, India and many countries in the world. This year, in India, Mother’s Day falls on May 8, 2022.

This day serves as a reminder to think about moms and mother-like personalities in our lives who inspire us every day and motivate us to be better people. Let’s know about the history and celebration of Mother’s Day.

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History of Mother’s Day

Celebrations go back to ancient times when Greeks and Romans held festivals. Their spring festival honour Rhea, the mother of all Greek gods. That holiday didn’t last. In Medieval Britain, servants were given the fourth Sunday of Lent to travel home and spend the day with their mothers. This tradition was called “Mothering Sunday“.

Modern Era

However, the origins of the modern era of Mother’s Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century. A woman named Anna Reeves Jarvis helped start “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children. In 1868, Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day“. In this event, mothers got together and promoted peace.

First Mother’s Day Celebration

The official Mother’s Day holiday started in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honouring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.

She organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration in 1908 at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. After getting financial backing from a Philadelphia philanthropist John Wanamaker. Thousands of people came out to attend the event at one of the retail stores in Philadelphia. In 1910, West Virginia became the first state in the US to observe Mother’s Day.

National Holiday

Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis was determined to see her holiday added to the national calendar. She argued that American holidays were biased towards male achievements. As a result, she started a massive letter-writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging for a special day honouring motherhood.

By 1912, many states, towns and churches had started adopting Mother’s Day as a public holiday. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when US President Woodrow Wilson officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis had originally conceived Mother’s Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. Her version of the day involved wearing a white carnation as a badge and visiting one’s mother.

The commercialisation of the Celebration

After this day became a public holiday, florists, card companies and other merchants used its popularity to sell their products. By 1920, she had become sickened with how the merchants commercialized the holiday. By the time of her death in 1948, Jarvis had repudiated the holiday altogether and even actively called on the government to see it removed from the American calendar.

In the United States, the celebration continues by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers. It has become one of the important days for consumer expenditure. Families also celebrate by giving mothers a rest from activities like cooking or other household work.

Significance of Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day recognises our mothers’ contributions to our lives, which are often overlooked, not only in India but also globally. Furthermore, because patriarchal society has taught them that they should not take time off, our moms hardly have time to care for themselves. Their primary priority is to protect their children and families.

Things, on the other hand, should not be this way. Let us remember to always honour our moms for everything they do for us and to fight for their rights on this Day. On this day, we also honour every mother’s unfathomable and selfless dedication to her children’s success.

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