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About Mother's Day

Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day and we both had our mothers after getting married. Georgia passed in 1990 and Rita passed in 1999.

After Sue's passing, Dr. Mary and I got married and I found out that Mary did not know her mother. We will continue to celebrate the holiday because we have children and grandchildren who are mothers.

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When Is Mother's Day in the USA?

Mother's Day in the United States is annually held on the second Sunday of May. The same is true for Australia and Canada. However, there still exists confusion about the right date.

The Full Moon lights up Mother's Day in 2025

Why Is Mother's Day Celebrated on Different Dates?

Other countries celebrate mothers on different dates: The United Kingdom celebrates Mother's Day three weeks before Easter Sunday (as "Mothering Sunday"). Costa Rica uses August 15, Georgia celebrates on March 3, Samoa uses the second Monday of May, and Thailand honors mothers on the birthday of the Queen of Thailand on August 12.

Mother's Day around the world

Why Is Mother's Day Celebrated in the United States?

Mother's Day has become a day that focuses on generally recognizing mothers' and mother figures' roles. Mother's Day has also become an increasingly important event for businesses in recent years. This is particularly true of restaurants and companies that manufacture and sell cards and gift items.

The origins of Mother's Day are attributed to different people in the United States. Many believe that two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, were important in establishing the tradition of Mother's Day in the United States.

Other sources say that Juliet Calhoun Blakely initiated Mother's Day in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s. Her sons paid tribute to her each year, and urged others to honor their mothers.

Gift Cards and Brunches

Traditionally, the holiday is about honoring mothers—by giving flowers, taking Mom out for brunch, or writing something sweet on a Mother's Day card. But what is the best gift? Typical gift ideas are Mother's Day flower bouquets with gift cards or greeting cards, maybe with a voucher for a "special day" for Mom or Mother-in-law.

Other Mother's Day gifts are chocolate, candy, clothing, jewelry, and treats, such as a beauty treatment or a trip to a spa. Even gift sets containing some or all of the above are possible.

Some families organize an outing for all of their members or hold a special meal at home or in a restaurant. In the days and weeks before Mother's Day, many schools help their pupils to prepare a handmade card or small gift for their mothers.

Florist's Tip: Pink and White Carnations

Traditionally, the "Mother's Day flower" is the white carnation (dianthus caryophyllus). Anna Jarvis, one of the founders of the modern Mother's Day celebration, chose the white carnation as its official flower because it had been her mother's favorite.

The white carnation symbolizes the purity of a mother's love—but be careful with a bouquet of white carnations: Today, they symbolize death and a mother who has passed away. Choose red or pink carnations to honor a living mother, or mix your bouquet.

History of Mother's Day

Around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother's Day to be celebrated each year to encourage pacifism and disarmament amongst women. It continued to be observed in Boston for about ten years under her sponsorship, but lost popularity afterward.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother's Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist during the Civil War and organized "Mother's Day Work Clubs" to improve health and cleanliness. Her daughter Anna Jarvis launched a quest for Mother's Day to be more widely recognized. Her campaign was later financially supported by John Wanamaker, a clothing merchant from Philadelphia.

In 1908, Jarvis was instrumental in arranging a service in the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church has now become the International Mother's Day Shrine. It is a tribute to all mothers and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

US President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation in 1914 designating Mother's Day as a national holiday to honor mothers, to be held on the second Sunday of May.

Is Mother's Day a Public Holiday?

Mother's Day is not a federal holiday.

Organizations, businesses, and stores are open or closed, just as they are on any other Sunday in the year. Public transit systems run to their normal Sunday schedules. Restaurants may be busier than usual, as some people take their mothers out for a treat.

Mother's Day

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations we know of were ancient Greek spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods.

But those were in honor of one particular mother. England's "Mothering Sunday," begun in the 1600's, is closer to what we think of as "Mother's Day." Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.

In 1907 Anna Jarvis started a drive to establish a national Mother's Day. In 1907 she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother's church in West Virginia--one for each mother in the congregation. In 1908, her mother's church held the first Mother's Day service, on May 10th (the second Sunday in May). That same day a special service was held at the Wanamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia, where Anna was from, which could seat no more than a third of the 15,000 people who showed up.

Mother's Day

By 1909, churches in 46 states, Canada and Mexico were holding Mother's Day services. In the meantime, Ms. Jarvis had quit her job to campaign full time. She managed to get the World's Sunday School Association to help; they were a big factor in convincing legislators to support the idea. In 1912, West Virginia was the first state to designate an official Mother's Day. By 1914, the campaign had convinced Congress, which passed a joint resolution. President Woodrow Wilson signed the resolution, establishing an official national Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

Many countries of the world now have their own Mother's Day at different times of the year, but Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, and Turkey join the US in celebrating Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. Britain still celebrates Mothering Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent--but they now call it Mother's Day. By any name, and at any date, it's a special day to honor a special person.

Future Mother's Day Dates

The web has a location that provides futures dates for all holidays. It is a great site to visit.

Mom's; Aunts Opal, Edith, Kaye, and Mother Rita & Georgia

Mother's Day 1988
It's summer time and that means the "p" word... PARTY!
Aunt Opal, Aunt Edith, Auth Kaye, Mom's Georgia and Rita (As of 2020, all of these wonderful people have passed)