May 5, 2007

  • Holiday Histories: Mother's Day

    The custom of holding a festival in honor of motherhood is very old.  It dates back in the Western world to the times of the ancient Greeks who worshipped Cybele, the mother of the gods, and honored her with rites in woods and caves.  This custom was passed on to Rome about 250 BC.  However, Mother's Day had an entirely different origin.

    In May 1907, Miss Anna M. Jarvis, of Philadelphia, thought that at least once a year sons and daughters should pay a tribute to their mother.  She arranged for a special mother's service in one of the churches and asked that white carnations be worn by those attending the service.  The plan appealed to the imagination of others and services were held in more churches the next year, and the second Sunday in May was agreed upon as the suitable date.  By 1911, the observance had spread to all the states and several other nations.

    In December 1912, a Mother's Day International Association was incorporated to encourage a greater observance of the day.  In 1914, Congress designated the day as Mother's Day.

    The custom of wearing a white carnation was modified so that those whose mothers were still alive wore red carnations and those whose mothers were dead wore white carnations.  Sons and daughters soon got into the habit of making little gifts to their mothers on this day.