The History of Mother’s Day
This year, Mother’s Day will be celebrated Sunday, May 9, 2021. Curious how the tradition began, I did some research and uncovered that Mother’s Day is rooted in antiquity. Back then people showed their adoration for their mothers through mythological female deities like Isis. The Egyptians honored her, the mother of the pharaohs, at an annual festival.
During the early Christian era, Christians celebrated the fourth Sunday Lent to honor the “Mother Church” in which they were baptized. In the 1600s, Mothering Day was decreed in England where servants and trade workers were permitted to travel home to see their families. It became a feast day where mom was the guest of honor.
When the Pilgrims arrived at American shores, they did away with Mothering Day. They didn’t have much time for that kind of nonsense. They didn’t put too much emphasis on Christmas or Easter, either. They had a no-frills devotion to God.
It was after the Civil War when Julia Ward Howe, the author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” started a Mother’s Day celebration in 18 North American cities. She was sick and tired of sons killing sons of mothers. She funded the celebrations for many years. When she stopped paying for the events, this June 2nd holiday ceased.
Anna M. Jarvis picked up the Mother’s Day torch. She petitioned state governments, business leaders, and church groups to recognize the day. When it finally was accepted in 1912, by West Virginia becoming the first state to officially celebrate Mother’s Day, Jarvis was appalled by the commercialization of Mother’s Day. She strongly believed the holiday was supposed to be about celebrating the personal, individual connection between a mother and her children. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the day into a national observance declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
I used to look forward every year to shower my mother, Vivian Thal, with gifts of love. When she passed away twenty-one years ago, Mother’s Day took on a bittersweet taste. My daughters would spend that day with their mom and I’d go to a movie. Eventually, my daughters got married and had children. Now I enjoy celebrating Mother’s Day with my girls over a BBQ with my four grandchildren splashing in the pool.
Have a wonderful Mother’s Day and enjoy spoiling your mom as long as you can.
Interesting history.
I missed Mothers day ,parents day at school, Christmas and so much more. I had neither parent. Somehow my siblings and I made it through, but it was tough. My siblings both passes and I was the youngest. There is two ways to look at it. I never was attached to my mother and if I were , I would have loved her. Losing her years later would have been much harder, losing my husband was very hard.