The Ancient Greek and Roman cultures can be said to be the originators of the tradition of honoring our mothers. The religious festivals and spring were the time when mothers were specifically honored. Coming to the contemporary origination of the mother's day celebration in present day United States, it was Julia Ward Howe, author of the words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic who purported that a day should be decided upon to be celebrated as Mother's Day. This would be a commemoration to peace according to her.
However she wasn't taken seriously, but still continued to hold mother's day meetings in Massachusetts every year. Finally it was Mrs. Anna Jarvis who got the credit of getting mother's day celebrations formalized in the United States. Her inspiration was her own mother, who dedicated a lifetime for the upbringing of a family of eleven children. On the second death anniversary of her mother, the second Sunday of May, she convinced her mother's parish in West Virginia for mother's day celebrations. Her mother's favorite flower, the white carnation was used to decorate the church.
Since then the white carnation has been a symbol of a mother who has passed away and a red one for a living mother. This though has changed over the times and now many flowers are accepted as signifying a tribute to the mother. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's day a national holiday. In the United States the traditional way of celebrating this day is to bring your mother flowers and take her on a special meal.
The white chrysanthemum in Australia has taken the place of the white carnation as it is the most prolific flower in May. In Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Japan, Australia and Belgium, the second Sunday of May is celebrated as Mother's Day while some other countries do that on another day. Sweden and France celebrate it on the last Sunday of May and is more like a family birthday to them.
There is a great connection between Mother's day and spring for in Lebanon it is celebrated on the first day of spring and in South Africa mother's day celebrations happen on the first Sunday of May. The festival Durga Puja in honor of the divine mother is celebrated as a ten day elaborate affair in India. In Spain and Portugal mother's day is celebrated on December 8th when they not only honor their own mothers but also the Virgin Mary.
Mothers Day When Is It
Mothers Day is dedicated to celebrate the bliss of Motherhood. It's a day when we get the divine opportunity to thank and show gratitude to our mothers. Mothers are everything for us when we are small. She is the person for whom we have stepped into this world. Our lives revolve around her. She is like a protective shield from all perceivable dangers. To take us out we hold her arms. To heal our wounds we run to her. And for a warm hug and love we look for her. She is the focal point of our lives, the greatest human being in the world or better said the image of God on earth. On the special occasion of Mother's Day we pay tribute to our mother and make her feel happy.
History Of Mother's Day
The history of Mother's Day is quite old and 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, the early Christians in England celebrated a day to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. Later on in UK, Mothers Day celebrations started by the name of Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday came to be celebrated following the practice in UK of 17th century where children from struggling families were send to work as apprentice and domestic servants with the rich. These children were allowed to visit their 'Mother Church' or the Cathedral of their home town annually in the middle of the fasting month. Children met their mothers after visiting the church and presented them with flowers and special cakes . Thus it was a kind of Mothers day for them.
In US the roots of the Mothers Day celebration were in the words of Julia Ward Howe. In 1872, she expresses the view of celebrating a special day for mothers. This was done through her prolific writings. Soon the fervor started growing strength and every body demanded declaration of official holiday and celebrations on Mothers Day. Her idea gained popularity but she could not get the idea implemented. Later on, after her death another activist Anne Jarvis worked hard to give all mothers their due recognition and it paid off. Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state in the Union. On May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. From then on Mother's day has been celebrated every year with a lot of enthusiasm and spirit.
With the passage of time the celebrations of Mothers Day have gone through a massive transformation. Today Mothers day involves everything from giving gifts , writing poems, cutting cakes to showering mothers with boundless love. The festival of Mothers Day is based on the emotions shared between mother and a child. As grown ups it's our turn to thank that special lady with the best that we can.
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