Mothers Day: A Historical Account
Many of us are not aware of this, but the concept of Mothers Day dates back to centuries. The ancient Greeks celebrated mothers day in honor of Rhea, the mother God. Then this occasion was celebrated by the early Christians in honor of mother Mary. Mothering Sunday became a religious day.
When the British settled in New England, they discontinued celebrating Mothering Sunday. This is because they did not get enough time to dedicate to Mothering Sunday. Much later, in the year 1872, a woman named Julia Ward Howe revived the trend of celebrating a special day for mothers. This is what has come down to us as mothers day.
In the year 1907, Anna M Jarvis, a teacher from Philadelphia stated celebrating mothers day to honor her own mother Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She convinced several legislators and also several businessmen to dedicate a day exclusively for mothers, a day which will celebrate motherhood. The very first mothers day that she celebrated was done at the church in the form of a church service. She places several white flowers.
The white flowers were symbolic of her mothers virtues. They represented the womans sweetness, purity of her being and the patience of her character. All the hard work that Anna undertook finally bore fruits. In the year 1914, President Woodrow Wilson gave out his proclamation that the second Sunday of May is going to be celebrated as mothers day.
The popularity of mothers day has grown ever since then. Slowly commercial motives were drawn as gift giving became an essential part of mothers day. Anna was displeased at this. This is not how she conceived the idea of mothers day to be like. She felt that the true meaning and the significance of the occasion was getting lost and profit making motives was gaining importance.
Mothers day, as it has turned out to be, is a day of celebration and a day dedicated to mothers. On this day people give several presents to their mothers andalso to the motherly figures in their lives. There are various gifts to choose from.
It can be anything from cards, flowers, chocolates, cookies, clothing, jewelries etc. many people take their mothers out for a treat. Mothers day is an occasion that is celebrated throughout the world. Some of the countries celebrate mothers day on the second Sunday of May.
Countries which celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May are
Denmark,
Finland,
Italy,
Turkey,
Australia,
and Belgium
A little about Mothering Sunday
Christens based in England celebrated mothers day on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This festival was in honor of Mother Mary. Then a religious holiday was declared on Mothering Sunday. Those who worked outside had to return home and pay their reverence at the church in honor of Mother Mary. She was celebrated as a spiritual power which gave life to the people and also safeguarded them from all types of harm.
