Here’s the Real History of Mother’s Day
Mother's Day was not established as a simple way for moms to get pancakes in bed. And, contrary to common opinion, card companies did not invent it to make a few (billion) dollars.
There's more to Mother's Day's past than meets the eye. There's a lot of controversy around the holiday, in addition to its tradition. There are disagreements about who invented the holiday first, as well as lawsuits over who has the right to use the word "Mother's Day." And after battling to get the holiday recognized as a national holiday, one of the creators sought to get it deleted from the books. Aside from that, there's the issue of where to put the annoying apostrophe.
Here are some of Mother's Day's secrets and past. And, for good measure, a few suggestions on how to honor your own mother on May 2nd.
The Birth of Mother’s Day
Mother's Day as we know it today dates back to the early 1900s. In 1905, the year her own mother died, a woman named Anna Jarvis began a movement for an official holiday celebrating mothers. Jarvis organized a public memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908, which was the first larger-scale celebration of the holiday.
Jarvis advocated for the holiday to be recognized as a national holiday over the next several years, and it began to be observed in a growing number of states throughout the country. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration declaring Mother's Day to be a national holiday, to be observed on the second Sunday in May.
Anna Jarvis established Mother's Day as a day to express love and gratitude to mothers and to recognize the sacrifices they make for their children. That's why she was adamant about keeping "Mother's" as a singular possessive, as shown by the apostrophe before "s." Even in the midst of a national celebration of motherhood, each family can honor its own mother so that individual women around the country can feel the love.
Other Mother’s Days
Before Anna Jarvis worked to create a day dedicated solely to honoring mothers, her mother played an important role in bringing people together for good causes. During the Civil War, Mama Jarvis—also known as Ann Reeves Jarvis—cared for injured soldiers on both sides of the field, and afterward, she arranged a "Mothers' Friendship Day" with the intention of fostering reconciliation between former Union and Confederate soldiers by bringing them together, together with mothers from both sides. It's no surprise that her daughter campaigned for a day dedicated to mothers, given her mother's lifelong commitment to caring for children and fostering peace.
Around the same time that Ann Reeves Jarvis was working with mothers for peace, Julia Ward Howe, an activist, abolitionist, and suffragette, advocated for June 2 to be declared as "Mother's Peace Day," and wrote a "Mother's Day Declaration" urging mothers to strive for world peace.
These women and others were the forerunners of Mother's Day in American culture, but motherhood celebrations go back much further. The worship of a mother deity, such as the Goddess Isis in Ancient Egypt or Cybele and Rhea in Ancient Greece, was also included in such festivities. Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom, for example, was initially devoted to the "Mother Church," but was later broadened to honor individual mothers as well.
Mother's Day is observed in a number of forms and on various dates throughout the year throughout the world, though several countries observe the holiday on the same day as the United States, demonstrating Anna Jarvis's lasting influence.
The Mother’s Day Controversy
Even though Anna Jarvis was successful in having Mother's Day declared a national holiday, she was dissatisfied with how it was observed. She had paired up with florists while campaigning for Mother's Day to be celebrated, even proposing a white carnation as the holiday's symbolic flower.
However, in the early years of the holiday's official history, florists, candy and card manufacturers, and even charities used Mother's Day as a way to make a fast buck, according to Jarvis. According to Jarvis, the commercialization of Mother's Day has defeated the whole point of a holiday that was supposed to be about celebrating a mother's intimate, individual relationship with her children.
Jarvis campaigned hard from around 1920 to keep companies from profiting from Mother's Day cards, sweets, roses, and other gifts. Despite having campaigned to be remembered as the one and only "Mother of Mother's Day," she later sought to get the holiday excluded from the calendar of national holidays, and she invested vast sums of her own money on litigation against profiteers that she believed were abusing the Mother's Day label.
The Commercialization of Mother’s Day
Was Anna Jarvis effective in persuading people to reduce their consumption? You've got your response if you're thinking about getting your mother a card or a bouquet of flowers.
The National Retail Federation conducts an annual survey to determine how much money Americans want to spend on Mother's Day. Here's a hint: most people aren't going to the trouble of making a handmade card with crayons.
Mother's Day spending in the United States is estimated to reach $23.6 billion in 2017. That works out to $186.39 per shopper on average. That is the largest number in the fourteen years that the National Retail Federation has conducted the Mother's Day spending survey.
But don't feel bad if you aren't planning on spending as much money. There are plenty of ways to honor Mom without breaking the bank. It's all about making it one-of-a-kind.
How to Celebrate Mother’s Day Today
Going out to brunch or having a Hallmark card and a large bouquet of flowers would suffice for most modern moms. Sure, Anna Jarvis will frown, but if Mom is grateful, what harm can there be?
Create your own card or write a letter to express your love for your mommy dearest if you want to go the Anna Jarvis road. Are you looking for some motivation? Use an expression or a sweet mom-centric quote that includes the words "mother" or "mom." Here's an example:
There is no such thing as a perfect mother, but there are a million different ways to be a decent one. Jill Churchill (Jill Churchill, Jill Churchill, Jill Churchill
You can also call Mom (fun fact: Mother's Day in the United States has the highest phone traffic of the year), take her for a walk (if you live nearby), or give her something nostalgic, like these photos of animal moms with their cubs, pups, kits, or kids. Isn't it irresistible?
Most importantly, show your mother (and Grammarly) that you learned well by correctly placing the apostrophe when writing "Happy Mother's Day." In addition to Mother's Day history, it's a great idea to discover fun facts about Mother's Day.
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