Mother's Day from Past to Present
Have you ever wondered how Mother’s Day came to be? There are several different theories, with some scholars linking it back to the ancient Egyptians, Phrygians, Romans and Greeks, but these ancient celebrations were more focused on the Mothers of Gods and not individual mothers.
In Europe “Mothering Day” was celebrated in order in honor of the matron of the family, but when Europeans began to emigrate to America, this holiday was forgotten.
The roots of this holiday are found in the American Civil War. It started with a woman named Julia Ward Howe, who called out to American mothers to stage a protest against the killing of their sons at war. The American Civil War was very bloody, and it was uncommon for brother to kill brother, bringing tremendous loss to many citizens.
Julia Warde Howe wanted to create a day of peace and motherhood, to protest the horrors of this war, and this day was to be known as Mother’s Day.
Her efforts were not in vain and June 2nd was officially declared Mother’s Day in 1873. After some time these celebrations died out, with the tradition continuing only in Boston. The popularity of this holiday rose and fell, and it saw several changes over the years. President Woodrow Wilson was the first to declare the second Sunday in May the official Mother’s Day in 1914.
Over the years this holiday has become highly commercialized, according to tradition the official flower for Mother’s Day is the carnation — white flowers honoring mothers who have passed away, red and pink flowers to honor mothers still living.
[Via: examiner.com]
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