Welcome to Sandy's Corner - Sandy Dickson, Author and Columnist

For Today,

Welcome to
Sandy's Corner

How did Mother’s Day get started?
Sandy Dickson

Mother’s Day was originally celebrated in Ancient Greece to honor Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.

In the 17th century, a special day was set aside for honoring mothers, to be celebrated the fourth Sunday of Lent. Known as Mothering Sunday, it was set aside to honor mothers of England because many were working as servants in the homes of the wealthy. On this day, mothers were encouraged to take the day off and spend it with their mothers. Tradition had it that they would bring a special cake, referred to as a mothering cake as a festive acknowledgement. It was a kind of fruit cake or fruit-filled pastry called simnel. There was also a sweetened, boiled cereal dish called fermety, often served at family dinner during Mothering Sunday celebrations.

As time went on and Christianity became more common throughout Europe, the celebration purpose shifted to honor the Mother Church for the spiritual aspect which gave them life and protection. That advanced through the years to encompass mothers as well as the church. It was revived there after World War II by American servicemen, when English businessman used the occasion for sales.

In the United States, the concept of Mother’s Day was suggested first by Julia Ward Howe both during and after the Civil War. She is also wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic.) Appalled at the carnage from those wars, in 1870, she presented a manifesto for peace at the international peace conference in London and Paris. In 1872, Howe began promoting the idea of a Mother’s Day for Peace, to be celebrated June 2, honoring peace, motherhood and womanhood. Eighteen U.S. cities celebrated a Mothers Day for Peace gathering in 1873, and Boston celebrated if for 10 years, but her efforts died out when they turned more toward working for peace.

In Philadelphia in 1907, a lady named Ana Jarvis wanted to start a Mother’s day as a national holiday. She convinced those decision makers at her mother’s home church in Grafton, West Virginia, to set aside a special day in honor they would call Mother’s Day, on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, which was the second Sunday in May. They did so, and by the next year, Mother’s Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

Many liked the idea, and Mother’s Day supporters joined Ms. Jarvis in writing to influential people, such as politicians, ministers and businessmen to establish this as a national holiday. By 1911, Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state, with President Woodrow Wilson making it official in 1914.

Many other countries have their own date as their official Mother’s Day, but among those that share the same date with the U.S. are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Turkey.