Mother’s Day is a special occasion dedicated to celebrating our mothers and important maternal figures, allowing us to show our gratitude and reflect on the women who have served as mentors and caregivers. At SBLF, we pause to recognize the importance of Mother’s Day, particularly because our cherished namesake, https://sblfoundation.org/about-shirley-bradley-leflore/, passed away on this day, Sunday, May 12, 2019, at the age of 79.
Let’s start from the beginning: how and why we celebrate Mother’s Day today. While the modern concept of Mother’s Day has relatively recent origins, its early celebrations can be traced back to festivals in ancient Greece and Rome. In ancient Greece, Rhea, the wife of Cronus and mother of the gods, was honored with offerings of food, drink, and flowers from people across the region. Similarly, the Romans celebrated Cybele, also known as Magna Mater or Great Mother, dedicating a temple to her and participating in the Festival of Hilaria in March, during which they presented gifts to the goddess. The most direct modern equivalent of Mother’s Day is the early Christian observance called “Mothering Sunday” in England, which occurs on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although it is often referred to as Mother’s Day, it is not related to the American celebration of the same name. Traditionally, it was a day when children, particularly daughters working as domestic servants, were given a day off to visit their mothers and families.
Before Mother’s Day became an official annual holiday in the United States, several individuals advocated for a “Mother’s Day” to promote peace. Julia Ward Howe, known for writing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” proposed such a celebration as early as 1870. Other early advocates included Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist who initiated a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, during the 1870s. Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering also worked to establish a Mother’s Day in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with Hering referred to by some as “the father of Mother’s Day.” However, the official holiday was established in the early 1900s.
Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, a public health activist from West Virginia, played a significant role in the years leading up to the Civil War by founding “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to educate local women on child care. After her passing in 1905, her daughter, Anna Reeves Jarvis, continued this legacy by organizing the first Mother’s Day celebration with a worship service at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Jarvis later criticized the commercialization of the holiday and spent her later years trying to have it removed from the calendar. While the dates and customs may differ, Mother’s Day typically involves giving mothers flowers, cards, and other gifts. Today, it is celebrated globally, with various traditions and dates.
In the United States, Mother’s Day has evolved into one of the largest holidays for consumer spending. It has also served as a platform for political and feminist movements at times. For instance, in 1968, Coretta Scott King, the wife of Martin Luther King Jr., organized a march on Mother’s Day to advocate for disadvantaged women and children. During the 1970s, women’s organizations utilized the holiday to emphasize the importance of equal rights and access to childcare. Mother’s Day celebrates mothers, motherhood, and maternal relationships, acknowledging their valuable contributions to families and society. Common traditions include giving cards and gifts, attending church services that often feature the distribution of carnations, and enjoying family dinners.
Here at SBLF, we believe Mother’s Day should be celebrated every day because mothers deserve more than one day of celebration. If you are a mom, you should be proud of your role. Happy Mother’s Day to all!
