Mother's Day
By Alexis DeVries
Mother’s Day is a holiday observed worldwide to honor motherhood, and this year it lands on May 14. The holiday traditionally involves presenting the mothers in your life with flowers, cards, gifts, and quality time.
Celebrations of motherhood can be traced back to when ancient Greeks and Romans held festivals to honor goddesses. It can also be seen in an early Christian festival called “Mothering Sunday.” This major tradition in Europe fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent, but the holiday became more secular over time. Following her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis conceived Mother’s Day in the U.S. to honor the sacrifices mothers made for their children. Jarvis remained unmarried and childless her whole life, but that didn’t stop her from advocating for mothers. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter-writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Different countries around the world may celebrate their traditions in various ways. Thailand celebrates in August on their queen’s birthday. In Ethiopia, people sing songs and prepare a big feast. No matter where you are from, there is no doubt that mothers are amazing and deserve to be celebrated for all their support and hard work.
If you haven’t gotten your Mother’s Day gift yet, consider making something handmade, getting something that will make their life easier, or purchasing something she has wanted for a while but would never get for herself.
References: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mothers-day
