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Simple Ways to Go Green. Go green and help preserve our Earth!
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"For Mother's Day I want... ?"
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Show Your Love This Mother's Day
Each year, we dedicate the second Sunday in May to moms. As you prepare to say thanks for her hard work and kindness this Mother's Day, first take a look back at how the holiday began. Then, find creative and affordable gift ideas to show her just how much you care. Finally, add on to the celebration with some amazing recipes!
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The Origin of Mother’s Day
According to some historians, Mother's Day may have started in ancient Greece and Rome during spring festivals for maternal goddesses. The Greeks honored Rhea, the mother of the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. Ancient Romans had a similar spring festival dedicated to Cybele, also a mother goddess. Mothering Sunday was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent with gifts and desserts. |
In the United States, Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe. However, it was ultimately a woman who never had children herself who led the campaign for national recognition of Mother's Day. Anna Jarvis held a ceremony in 1907 in Grafton, West Virginia, to honor her mother, who had died two years earlier. Jarvis' mother had tried to establish Mother's Friendship Days as a way of dealing with the aftermath of the Civil War.
Anna Jarvis began a campaign to create a national holiday honoring mothers. She and her supporters wrote to ministers, businessmen and politicians—finally, in 1910, they were victorious. West Virginia was the first state to recognize the new holiday, and the nation followed in 1914 when President Wilson declared the second Sunday in May to be Mother's Day. Jarvis used white carnations as a symbol for mothers, because carnations represented sweetness, purity and the endurance of mother love. |
Julia Ward Howe |
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