 n the United States, it was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe that Mothers Day should be celebrated by the nation in 1872. Ward Howe saw Mothers Day not only as a time to celebrate mothers themselves, but also as a time to observe peace.
 However, there have since been tales to the contrary, and it is also often suggested that the person responsible for Mothers Day celebrations in America may be Anna Jarvis. Her mother before her had sought to do the same by having “Mothers Friendship Days” – a way to heal the battle scars of the American Civil War. After her mothers death, Jarvis held a ceremony in Grafton to honour her memory.
So moved by the ceremony, she started a campaign to formerly adopt a holiday that officially recognised Mothers Day. This finally came about in 1910 when President Woodrow Wilson officially announced Mothers Day a national holiday, to be held on the second Sunday of May each year.
The effort that Jarvis had gone to for an official Mothers Day seemed almost wasted and she was utterly horrified at the commercialism of the occasion she had championed. She saw it as a day for sentiment and not for massive profits. So in 1923, she filed a lawsuit to try and have the official holiday renounced. It is ironic however, that through all her campaigning she did not have the time to spend becoming a mother herself.
Towards the end of her life, she told a reporter that she was “sorry [she] ever started Mothers Day". Jarvis died in a nursing home aged 84, surrounded by Mothers Day cards from mothers and children all around the world.
Mothers Day traditions vary around the world, including the date on which Mothers Day falls. This year in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Mother's Day falls on Sunday 2nd March. Mothers Day 2008 is sure to be celebrated by children across the country, giving thanks to mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers!
During the 1600's, ENGLAND celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. Servants would go home to see their families, bringing cakes and sweets to their moms. This custom was called "going a-mothering". Each mother would recieve a "simnel cake" and mother's would give a blessing to their children.
Throughout the world, at least one day of the year is put aside to honouring Mothers Day!
In the UNITED STATES, it tends to fall on the second Sunday in May. Flowers are, like in the UK, the single most popular Mothers Day gift. Americans send millions upon millions of cards every year at Mothers Day; they also observe traditions not seen elsewhere in the world. These traditions include wearing a white carnation for a deceased mother or wearing a red or pink carnation if your mother is still alive. Breakfast in bed is also high on the list and the sending of handmade crafts is another popular choice. |
In AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND, Mothers Day usually falls on the second Sunday in May. Breakfast in bed – served by doting children, often with a little help from dad – is a popular offering on Mothers Day morning. This is often followed by taking mothers and grandmothers out for a nice Sunday lunch. Gifts and cakes, like elsewhere in the world, are also offered as a part of the celebration. In Australia a white chrysanthemum – unlike the white carnation worn in America – is worn to honour a deceased mother, with a coloured one worn to show thanks to a mother who is still with us.
The second Sunday in February is when Mothers Day is traditionally celebrated in NORWAY, where it is seen by many as a more religious ceremony than elsewhere in the world. More recently the religious angle has become less important and Mothers Day is often celebrated solely as a family occasion; an occasion where the mother is honoured by receiving flowers and is given coffee and cake in bed. Schools and nurseries observe such traditions by making cards and small gifts
SOUTH AFRICANS celebrate Mothers Day on the first Sunday in May. In South Africa, mothers are both thanked and remembered with the giving of gifts such as flowers, as well as heartfelt mementos being offered to mothers.
In MEXICO, Mothers Day does not often fall on a Sunday, instead being celebrated on the 10th of May each year. Children of all ages – both young and old – will gather at the mothers home on the eve of Mothers Day to enjoy a meal and pay tribute to their mum. Orchestras will play ”Las Mananitas” in the towns and villages, while early morning 'tamalis' (eaten for breakfast) will be shared among locals. Bouquets of flowers are – as ever – given as gifts, along with cards. Traditionally, bright clothing is also worn on Mothers Day.
The FRENCH celebrate Mothers Day in much the same was at we do in the UK. Mothers Day falls, traditionally as for most as Europe on a Sunday. This is typically the last Sunday in May.
As in France, the SWISS also celebrate quite a traditional Mothers Day. Again, this typically falls on the last Sunday in May each year.
SERBIAN Mothers Day falls two weeks before Christmas. The celebration is called "Materice" and traditionally, boys and girls tiptoe into their mothers bedroom very early in the morning and tie her up. When she awakens, she is surprised to find herself tied up, and begs the children to untie her, promising gifts which she has hidden under her pillow. This is one of the few cases where the children receive gifts on Mothers Day, not the mother!
In October, The HINDU festival of Durga-Puja is held over ten days to honour Durga, or the Divine Mother. This is essentially the same as Mothers Day, with gifts and meals being enjoyed by mothers and children alike.
The SPANISH & PORTUGUESE celebrate their Mothers Day on December the 8th each year. On this day, the people of Spain and Portugal pay thanks to the Virgin Mary, while children honour their mothers.
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