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MOTHER'S
DAY
WHAT MAKES A MOTHER SPECIAL?
It's the Love She always
share,
Little thoughtful things
show how much she cares,
And when you grow up,
she steps aside,
But still she watches
you with tender loving pride.
Wherever she is, there is
Eden with not a trace of the forbidden apple that Eve found!
The
earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of
ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England
celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th
Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter*), "Mothering
Sunday" honored the mothers of England.
During
this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were
located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On
Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home
and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake,
was often brought along to provide a festive touch.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe the
celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave
them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the
Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.
In
the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn
of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day
meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.
In
1907 Ana Jarvis,
from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis
persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the
second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's
Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Ms.
Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in
their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's
Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the
official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held
each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. (This year on 12th M ay) While many
countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the
year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and
Belgium, which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. YOUR SPACE
DID YOU KNOW?
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