More than 40 nations worldwide honor their mothers and the institution of motherhood on specially designated days. Many such commemorations even date back to ancient Greek and Roman times, including the Cult of Cybele and the Hilaria, to name a few. And let’s not forget about the medieval Christian ecclesiastical tradition of celebrating Mothering Sunday.
Still, here in the United States, our time-honored Mother’s Day designation is of a much younger making. This is not surprising, however, given that the New World’s establishment itself is far “newer” (pun intended). Even so, it may be surprising to discover that it’s only been within the last 110 years that Mother’s Day has been officially recognized nationally as an American holiday. And it all started in West Virginia, no less.
For this Flashback Friday Feature, I’m recounting how United States Mother’s Day celebrations first began. I will also delve into the details and developments of how it emerged to become the nationally recognized American holiday it is today.
Honoring An American Mother
The idea of celebrating Mother’s Day in the United States all started with one woman’s initiative to honor the memory of her mother. Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia was inspired to fulfill the long-desired wish of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who died in 1905.
In her lifetime, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis had been a remarkable woman. Losing eight of her 12 children to childhood disease led her to organize what were known as Mothers’ Day Work Clubs in her community throughout the late 1850s. These Clubs actively worked to improve health conditions through education about sanitation and hygienic practices. They also offered financial assistance and support to needy families so that they could access necessary medicine and health care. During the years of the Civil War, Mothers’ Day Work Clubs also aided in the care for wounded and ailing soldiers from both sides.
A woman who was forever passionate about her faith, Ann Reeves Jarvis was an active member of the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church community in Grafton. She even served as a Sunday School teacher. In fact, it was during a closing prayer following one of her lessons back in 1876 that inspiration for establishing a National Mother’s Day first struck her daughter Anna, who was just 12 at the time. The older Jarvis prayed that someday someone would memorialize a commemoration day in tribute to the many services and contributions mothers make and their positive impacts on humanity.
An Ambitious Campaign
In the years following her mother’s death, Anna Jarvis got busy leading a full-blown campaign to establish an official holiday commemorating the work and contributions of mothers. She sent letters to every state governor and even wrote to other influential persons of the day, including Mark Twain, then-President Theodore Roosevelt, and several others. Jarvis suggested that the new holiday should occur on the second Sunday of May each year—the closest Sunday to the anniversary of her own mother’s death.
The very first American Mother’s Day celebration was more of a local commemoration. It took place in May of 1908, as a memorial ceremony at St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. Jarvis bought hundreds of carnations for the service—her mother’s favorite flower and one that has since become synonymous with Mother’s Day. By 1910 the State of West Virginia passed a law, officially designating Mother’s Day as a state holiday. Others soon followed and by 1911 every existing state observed Mother’s Day. Then, on May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation that Mother’s Day would be formally recognized as a national holiday honoring mothers on the second Sunday in May each year.
Commercialization Controversy
Anna Jarvis may have gotten her wish for Mother’s Day to become a recognized holiday, but she was not too happy with the over-commercialization that eventually followed. By her way of thinking, the profiting of greeting card companies via mass-produced messages and candy and flower sales were all exploitive. On more than one occasion, Jarvis expressed her dissatisfaction. She was even known to lead organized boycotts of Mother’s Day and threatened legal action in some instances. To her Mother’s Day was meant to be a more solemn, personal honoring of one’s mother, which is why “Mother’s Day” is written as a singular possessive—making it each mother’s very own day.
A Lasting Legacy
Mother’s Day today may still be arguably commercialized by the standards put in place by Anna Jarvis. But it’s important to note that the founder’s legacy as well as her initial intent have still been retained throughout the passing years. Back in the 1960s, for instance, St. Andrews—the site of the first Mother’s Day—was established as the International Mother’s Day Shrine. To this day, an annual Mother’s Day service is hosted here each year, and a specially chosen mother is honored for the occasion.
Mother’s Day celebrations and commemorations come in many forms. But in the end, what matters most is that you express your heartfelt love and admiration for your mother on what has been designated her official day.