Celebrations of motherhood date back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who held ceremonies to honor goddesses Rhea and Cybele respectively. The modern-day celebration of Mother’s Day in the U.S. can be attributed to the perseverance of one woman: Anna Jarvis. Ironically, she had no children of her own.
Anna was the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis who helped develop “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” in West Virginia in 1852 to improve poor health and sanitary conditions, which had contributed to the high mortality rate of children in the area. After the Civil War, Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” where mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.
Following Ann’s death in 1905, her daughter Anna embarked on a mission to declare “Mother’s Day” an official holiday to honor the sacrifices mothers made for their children. She gained the support and financial backing of department store owner John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, where she lived at the time, and in May 1908, she organized the first official Mother’s Day. Anna sent 500 carnations to the Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, for the occasion and held a simultaneous celebration at Wanamaker’s department store.
Anna then set out to see her newfound holiday added to the national calendar. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Her enthusiasm for the holiday would be short-lived, however. Florists, greeting card companies and confectioners were quick to jump at the opportunity and Anna was soon dismayed by the commercialization of the holiday. Anna began a very public campaign speaking out against the companies that were capitalizing on Mother’s Day. By the time of her death in 1948, she had completely disowned the holiday.
Despite its rocky origins, Mother’s Day, which falls on May 10 this year, offers an opportunity to pause and reflect on the important role mothers play in our lives and in society. Whether you choose to celebrate with fanfare or quiet reflection, we wish all of the mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day!