Mother's Day isn't always the same in all countries. It can be traced back to
Spring celebrations in Greece honoring Rhea, wife of Cronus and Mother of the gods and
goddesses. In Rome the festival of Hilaria was dedicated to Cybele, another mother
goddess, @ 250 years before Christ. This religious celebration lasted 3 days from March 15
to 18. Later celebrations were to venerate the Mary, the Mother of Christ. During the
1600's the 4th Sunday of Lent England celebrated "Mothering Sunday" to honor
the mothers of England. Christianity changed that to honor Mother Church. Ireland had
similar celebrations to give Mothers rest in the long Lenten period. Over time the
festivals blended. Scotland celebrated in March too, I believe. If we could research back
that far, we would probably find many baptisms took place on these days. In the US we
attribute Mother's Day to Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis around 1872. Both women had
the same agenda, peace, but for totally different rea!
sons. Julia Howe wanted women to rise up and stop the bloodshed and all war. She made a
global appeal to all women to take their sons and husbands back. Women in Boston
celebrated that day for several years, until World War I came along. Anna Jarvis is
credited with making it a holiday here. It's told Anna found the Preacher's son
drunk one Sunday and the Preacher could not continue his sermon. Anna was so devoted to
her mother she stepped up to the pulpit and gave a sermon honoring her mother. Her mother
was known as Mother Jarvis, organizing women's brigades in the Civil War to get women
to help and heal the bitterness, no matter what sides their sons had chosen. One day while
teaching a Bible class her daughter, Anna heard her mother declare, "I hope and pray
that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day." Two years after her
mother's death, Anna began a letter writing campaign in West Virginia to gain support
of influential men, including President William !
Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt, to respect mothers and strengthen family
ties. On the second Sunday in May, the anniversary of her mother's death, she passed
out white carnations at Church, her mother's favorite. Later red was added to
symbolize the mothers still living. By 1911 the tradition had spread across all states and
the rest, as they say, is history. May 1913, the House of Representatives urged the
President and all officials fly the flag and to wear a white carnation on Mother's
Day. President Woodrow Wilson issued the first proclamation making Mother's Day an
official national holiday. Hope you all enjoy the Happiest Mother's Day of all, Tim
McGarry
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