Mother's Day

Origin of Mother's Day goes back to the era of ancient Greek and Romans. Today the festival of Mothers day is celebrated across 46 countries- on different dates- and is hugely popular. The earliest history of Mothers Day dates back to the ancient annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to maternal goddesses. The Greeks used the occasion to honor Rhea, wife of Cronus and the mother of many deities of Greek mythology. Ancient Romans celebrated a spring festival,too and called Hilaria dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess.

Early Christians celebrated a Mother's Day of sorts during the festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. In England the holiday was expanded to include all mothers. It was called Mothering Sunday. The more recent history of Mothers Day dates back to 1600s in England. Here a Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter) to honor mothers. After a prayer service in church to honor Virgin Mary, children brought gifts and flowers to pay tribute to their own mothers.Traditionally children brought with them gifts and a special fruit cake or fruit-filled pastry called a simnel.

Custom of celebrating Mothering Sunday died out almost completely by the 19th century. However, the day came to be celebrated again after World War II, when American servicemen brought the custom and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales.

Anna Jarvis is the Founder of Mother’s Day in US. She never married and never had kids, she is also known as the Mother of Mothers Day. Anna never forgot her mother’s word and when her mother died in 1905, she resolved to fulfill her mother’s desire of having a mothers day. To begin with Anna, send carnations the church service in Grafton, West Virginia to honor her mother. Carnations were her mother’s favourite flower and Anna felt that they symbolised a mother’s pure love. By 1911, Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state in the Union and on May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

Today Mother’s Day is celebrated in several countries. People take the day as an opportunity to pay tribute to their mothers and thank them for all their love and support. The day has become hugely popular. There is also a tradition of gifting flowers, cards and others gift to mothers on the Mothers Day.