May 11, 2014: Happy Mother’s Day!

A Brief History

On May 11, 2014, 69 countries and territories celebrate Mother’s Day, including the United States.

Digging Deeper

Anna Jarvis of West Virginia celebrated the first (modern version) Mother’s Day in 1908 as a memorial to her mother.

Thinking this idea was so brilliant, Jarvis began a campaign to create the Mother’s Day holiday. In 1914 her efforts became successful with the official establishment of the holiday, and many countries began to celebrate the holiday as well.

Jarvis always claimed exclusive authorship of the holiday, ignoring previous somewhat similar celebrations in the 1800’s. Jarvis actually went to the trouble of trade marking the terms “Second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day” in 1912, as well as founding the Mother’s Day International Association.

Aside from the 69 countries and territories that celebrate Mom’s special day on the second Sunday in May, another 87 or so countries celebrate a version of Mother’s Day on other dates. Various countries and religions have their own special traditions and ways of celebrating the day, just as individual families have developed their own traditions and routines.

Sadly, Anna Jarvis, the “mother” of Mother’s Day came to be disheartened by the commercialization of her holiday (what can be derisively called a “Hallmark Holiday”) and actually tried to have it cancelled in the 1920’s. In 1948 she even got herself arrested while protesting the holiday that she created! Apparently a rabid foe of greeting cards, Jarvis believed such cards replaced the much more meaningful personal letters. (Perhaps she did not realize that personal messages could be written in a card, who knows?) Greeting card manufacturers and florists certainly would fight any attempt to get rid of such a noble holiday, and we confidently predict no such thing will happen for a long time.

In any case, if you somehow forgot that today is Mother’s Day, you better get moving and get Mom a card and present, or at least a congratulatory call!

Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: How do you celebrate Mother’s Day?

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