18 MAY 9, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
MOTHER’S DAY
The history behind Mother’s Day
BY TRESA ERICKSON
Every year as the second Sunday in
May approaches, millions of people
across the country turn their thoughts
to Mom and fi nd ways to let her know
how much she means to them. Although
it wasn’t always celebrated on the
second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day
has been around in some form since
ancient times.
The ancient Greeks and Romans
held a festival each spring honoring
maternal goddesses like Rhea and
Cybele. During these celebrations,
participants would put on parades,
play games and participate in
masquerades.
Early Christians held their own
festival in honor of the Virgin
Mary. When the English took up
the celebration, they expanded it to
include all mothers and renamed
it Mothering Sunday. On this day,
individuals attended services for the
Virgin Mary and then visited their
own mothers, bringing them fl owers,
gift s and treats.
The popularity of Mothering Sunday
had faded considerably by the start of
the 19th century but re-emerged in
the 1870s due to the eff orts of activist
and writer Julia Ward Howe. Howe
thought there should be a day in honor
of mothers in the United States. She
introduced her idea in 1872, calling for
the celebration to take place on June 2
and all mothers to take a stand against
war. Howe had seen the devastation the
loss of life in the Civil War had had on
mothers everywhere. Although many
embraced her idea of a day for peace,
the celebration of Mother’s Day as we
know it today did not come about until
the early 20th century when Anna
Jarvis introduced it.
As a child, Anna Jarvis had heard
her mother pray for a day dedicated
solely to mothers, living and deceased,
and honoring their contributions.
When her mother died in 1905, Jarvis
recalled her mother’s wish and started
campaigning for a national holiday for
mothers everywhere. She wrote letters
to many leaders in her community and
across the country and spoke about the
matter at many functions.
By 1911, Jarvis’ efforts had paid
off, with nearly every state in the
country celebrating the day. Just three
years later on May 8, 1914, President
Woodrow Wilson signed a bill into
law, establishing the second Sunday of
every May Mother’s Day.
Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated
in various nations around the world.
Spouses and children all over take
time out to honor the mothers in their
lives, and for that, Anna Jarvis and her
mother would be thankful.
Courtesy Creators.com
39 YEARS
‘80 ‘19
To All
The Mom's
We Wish
You
A Very Happy Mother's Day
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