We all celebrate Mother’s Day, but have you ever wondered how this holiday came about?
It is said that the early Greeks worshipped Rhea, the Mother of the Gods in the spring. In England starting in the 16th Century, a holiday called Mothering Day was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent when everyone, even servants, went home to spend the day with their families.
Mother’s Day as we celebrate it now can be traced to three American women: Julia Ward Howe, Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis and her daughter, Anna Jarvis. In a large part, Mother’s Day started as a peace movement.
In 1857, Anne Marie Jarvis, a Methodist minister’s daughter married to the son of a Baptist minister, organized Mothers’ Day Working Clubs to improve the sanitation and health of families. In 1865 after the end of the Civil War, she organized Mothers’ Friendship Groups to try to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbours.
Julia Ward Howe, a brilliant poet, writer, activist, suffragette and lecturer was influenced by Anne Marie Jarvis’ work and was appalled by the devastation and suffering the Civil War had brought about. [During the Civil War on the suggestion of a friend she wrote the lyrics for THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC which was published in 1861.] She believed that peace was one of the most important world issues, the other being justice. In 1870 she wrote THE MOTHERS’ DAY PROCLAMATION FOR PEACE urging women all over the world to oppose war in all its forms. In 1872 she promoted the idea of a MOTHERS’ DAY FOR PEACE to be held on June 2. It was celebrated in Boston for 10 years and in some other areas of the United States for 30 years.
It was Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Marie Jarvis who finally manage to establish Mother’s Day as a holiday. In 1907 she held a memorial service for her mother three years after her death. During the following years she campaigned relentlessly to make Mother’s Day an established holiday. She wrote hundreds of letters to influential people and by 1911, it was being celebrated in most of the states of the Union. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May. Since then the celebration of Mother’s Day has spread around the world. Most countries celebrate it in April or May.
I have many suitable gifts for Mother’s Day on my website. In addition for those living in the Montreal area, I have a great deal of jewelry for sale which are not on my website. I can be contacted at 514-739-5744 or at donnadavidson35@gmail.com.
I have many hand carved marble boxes with flower motifs from Viet Nam which would make wonderful Mother’s Day gifts such as the ones below. [#294 -301]
For a mother who is a musician, perhaps a hand carved marble musician from Vietnam would be suitable. [#145-6] Other musicians from Vietnam made of resin are less expensive. [#519-21]
Many mothers like cat and there are many hand carved wooden cats on my website. [#325-339] Also, I have very cute cloisonne cats. [#340-344]
Happy Mother’s Day!
Donna Davidson