Americans celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. Mom can thank Anna Jarvis for the honor. In her lifetime, Anna Jarvis campaigned to make people aware of the poor health conditions of the Appalacian people following the civil war.
Three years after her death, her daughter - also named Anna - gave away her mother's favorite flower, the carnation, at church to honor her mother's memory. She then began a letter writing campaign for National Mother's Day to remember all mothers in the United States. President Wilson signed the bill allowing for this national holiday in 1914.
Anna hated the commercialization of the Mother's Day. Once she even got arrested for trying to break up a group selling carnations for War Mothers.
Before Mother's Day began in the USA, however, there were other Mother's Day observances. Ancient Greeks and ancient Romans celebrated days honoring their pagan mother gods. Catholics celebrated the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, and that day was changed to include the honoring of all mothers.
On the eleventh day of the Jewish month of Cheshvan (October-November), Yom HaEim - "The Day of the Mother" is observed. Tradition holds that on this forty-first day after Rosh Hashanah, the matriarch Rachel died after giving birth to son Benjamin.
For ideas for gifts that you can make for the honored women in your life, click here.
