Mother's Day: The Story Behind the Holiday

We celebrate Mother's Day with brunch reservations, flowers and doing the little things to make mom feel extra special one day of the year. But, if you've ever stopped to consider the origin of Mother's Day, you might be surprised at its history and original intent.

Celebrations honoring moms have been around for centuries, dating as far back as 6000 B.C. in Greece, though the modern day U.S. celebration is not directly related. Ours is linked to the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” written by Julia Ward Howe in 1870, but social activist Anna Jarvis is thought to be the mother of this tradition.

In 1868, Jarvis created a committee to establish “Mother’s Friendship Day” as a way to reunite loved ones divided during the Civil War, but she died in 1905 before the holiday became official. Her idea was continued by her daughter Anna Marie and the holiday was established in 1908, a day originally intended to be full of reflection and quiet prayer.

Less than 10 years after its creation, Anna Marie Jarvis became so unhappy with what the holiday had become that she began to oppose the day altogether, and spent the rest of her life and inheritance fighting the day.  She strongly criticized what has been dubbed a “Hallmark Holiday” and disliked the laziness associated with buying a greeting card in lieu of writing a personal letter. She was even later arrested in the '30s for protesting against the commercialization of Mother's Day and the sale of flowers.

In opposition to the exploitation of the holiday by the flower industry, Jarvis was famously quoted, "What will you do to route charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and other termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations?”

Jarvis died poor, blind and childless and ironically never knew that The Florist Exchange anonymously paid for her care.

Read a 1938 article from TIME Magazine featuring Jarvis and her quest to end the rampant commercialization of her mother's day.

MOTHER’S DAY FACTS:

• Mother’s Day is the most popular day to dine in a restaurant in the U.S.
• Carnations are the traditional flower of Mother’s Day, as it was Ann Jarvis’ favorite. White celebrate a deceased mother, while red or pink celebrate a living one.
• Mother’s Day is celebrated globally, though each country has a different meaning for the day.
• The world’s youngest mother was Lina Medina of Peru who was only five years and seven months old.
• According to 2010 census data, there are 83 million mothers in the United States.
• The average mother will have 2.5 children.
• Approximately 14 billion dollars are spent on Mother’s Day with 2.5 billion towards jewelry and 1.9 towards flowers.
• The most common day of birth is Tuesdays. The most common birth month is August.