The relationship between the mother and
her child is probably the most celebrated relationship in the world
and quite naturally mothers and motherhood are honored worldwide in
ever society. The celebration is most commonly known as Mother’s
Day and celebrated at different dates at different countries. In the
US the Mother’s Day is a general holiday and observed during the
second Sunday of May.
Though the name suggests that it as a
celebration for mothers but it also celebrates womanhood in general
and so, includes grandmothers, mother-in-laws, aunts and even wives ;
recognizing their contributions to families and to the societies by
large.
Celebrating Mother’s Day, however, is
not a modern day conception but both the ancient Greek and Romans
were known to celebrate motherhood in their respective ways. The
Greek festival of Cybele, and Roman festival of Hilaria were the two
ancient forms of the modern celebration. The Christians were also
known to recognize mothers through Mothering Sunday celebration.
The modern Mother’s day celebration
was started by Anna Jarvis in 1907 in the US. She was the daughter of
Ann Jarvis who tailored the idea of celebrating Mother’s Friendship
Day to help the families, who got separated during the Civil War, to
reunite. But she died in 1905 before the observation became popular.
Her daughter then took up her unfinished task and continued her
efforts to make it a widely accepted and popular event. It is due to
her relentless campaigning that President Woodrow Wilson issued a
proclamation on May 9, 1914 that recognized the first national
Mother's Day – a day when the mothers whose sons fought and died in
the wars were honored and the national flag was waved at them.
In May 2008, the Grafton's church where
the first celebration was held was given the status of International
Mother's Day Shrine and is now regarded as a National Historic
Landmark.
The general celebration includes giving
gifts, cards and flowers to the mothers. Carnation has been
especially attached to the celebration and mothers are given bouquets
of carnation as gifts for Mother’s Day. Families gather together to
enjoy family breakfasts, lunch or dinner. In many neighborhoods and
schools special programs and competitions are organized for both the
mothers and their children. Special discounts are offered at
different stores, restaurants, amusement parks and theaters to
attract celebrators.
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