Where did Mother’s day come from? (Here's the link)
Historians claim that the holiday of Mother's Day emerged from the ancient festivals dedicated to mother goddess. In the ancient Greek empire, Rhea, the wife of Cronus, and mother of Gods and Goddesses, was worshipped. In Rome too, Cybele, a mother Goddesses, was worshipped, as early as 250 BC. It was known as Hilaria, and it lasted for three days, called the Ides of March, that is from March 15 to March 18. However, neither of them meant for the honoring of our immediate mothers, as is done in our Mother's Day.
Rather more closely aligned to our Mother's Day, is the "Mothering Sunday." England observed "Mothering Sunday" or the "Mid-Lent-Sunday”, on the fourth Sunday in Lent. In the United States, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) is credited with bringing the celebration of Mother's day.
Anna Jarvis intended to start a Mother's Day as an honoring of mothers. And the first one was not a Mother's Day service in the sense it came to be celebrated later. But Miss Jarvis had struck deeper than what she knew with her intention. The idea itself was so great that it did not take long to be spread all over. The governor of West Virginia issued the first Mother’s Day proclamation in 1910. Oklahoma celebrated it in that same year. And by 1911, there was not a state in the Union that did not have its own observances for Mother's Day. Soon it crossed the national boundary, as people in Mexico, Canada, South America, China, Japan and Africa all joined the spree to celebrate a day for mother love.
The immense popularity of the Day led to foundation of Mother's Day International Association on December 12, 1912. Its purpose was to promote and encourage meaningful observances of the event across the world. It was in 1934 Postmaster General James A. Farley announced a stamp to commemorate Mother's Day. The stamp featured the famous painting Arrangement in Grey and Black. The painting was a portrait of the mother of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, an English artist. It was brought in to the United States as part of an exhibit in the year 1934.
The governor of West Virginia issued the first Mother’s Day proclamation on a state level in 1910. And by 1911, other states followed. But it took a couple of years still to obtain the Presidential proclamation. The House of Representatives in May 1913 unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the President, his cabinet, the members of both Houses and all officials of the federal government to wear a white carnation on Mother's Day. On May 7,1914, a resolution providing that the second Sunday in May be designated Mother's Day was introduced by Representative James T. Heflin of Alabama and Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas. It passed both Houses and on May 9 President Woodrow Wilson issued his Mother's Day Proclamation:
"...Now, Therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the said Joint Resolution, do hereby direct the government buildings and do invite the people of the United States to display the flag at their homes or other suitable places on the second Sunday in May as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country."
How did our Mom’s do raising us? A recent Fox News poll says that we think she did pretty well!
So, now that you’ve had your history of Mother’s Day – go out and do something nice for her!! She’s the reason you’re here, after all!
Linda Filep is the Recruiting Supervisor at Cal National Bank.
Comments