Mother's Day in Ancient Times

The concept of Mother Earth dates back to ancient ages to countries like India and Greece. In the 7th century BCE, the poet Hesiod gave the "deep-breasted" earth mother the name Gaea, she who "gave birth" to the sky, sea, and mountains, as well as the ruling gods called the Titans. A few centuries later, Gaea's daughter Rhea, was honored each year with festivals called "Hilaria". The festivities lasted for three days and by all accounts were great family entertainment, with revelers bringing gifts and flowers to honor the mother of the Olympians. Mother worship which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of gods, and (mythology), the wife of Cronus; was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (March 15 to March 18). The Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.

After the triumph of Christianity in Europe, a new variation of Mother's Day took place to honor the Church itself. On the fourth Sunday of Lent, people brought gifts to the church where they had been baptized. This custom changed during late Medieval times when many children had to move away from home in order to find work and were only allowed one holiday a year, and it was on this fourth Sunday that the children went home to see their mothers which eventually gave rise to the custom called "Mothering Sunday".

In the Celtic countries and the British Isles, the powerful goddess Brigit was transformed into her Christian successor, St. Brigid. Gradually Mother's Day became Mothering Sunday in Britain. Nowadays Mother's Day in UK is used to celebrate and give thanks to mothers, although it is still recognized by some churches, who pay homage to Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

Mother's Day in USA

In the United States, Mother's Day was first organized by Anna Reeves Jarvis in 1858, who organized a "Mother's Work Day" to work for improved sanitation in her town .

In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," promoted the idea of a "Mother's Day for Peace" to be celebrated on June 2, honoring peace, motherhood and womanhood. She was horrified by the carnage of the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War.In 1873, women in 18 cities in America Celebrated Mother's Day for Peace. She firmly beleived that the mothers have a bigger role to play in the political arena of the country to ensure peace, non-violence and brotherhood. The celebrations gradually died out when Howe was no longer able to bear the costs.

Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis, was the prime force behind the official establishment of Mother's Day. In 1905, she took an oath to dedicate her life to her mother's project, and establish a Mother's Day to honor mothers, living and dead. In 1907 she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother's church, St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia -- one for each mother in the congregation

In 1908 the first church -- St. Andrew's in Grafton, West Virginia -- responded to her request for a Sunday service honoring mothers. Anna Jarvis used carnations at the first Mother's Day celebration, because carnations were her mother's favorite flower. Anna Jarvis and the florist industry ended up disagreeing over the selling of flowers for Mother's Day. Once cricizing the florists, she wrote, "What will you do to route charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and other termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations?"

In 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it, establishing Mother's Day, emphasizing women's role in the family. However Anna Jarvis continued her protest against rampant commercialization of Mother's Day and eventually died penniless in 1948.

Read the Mother's Day Proclamation of Julia Ward Howe.