Mother’s Day
Every second Sunday in May,
a segment of the American population finally received some well-deserved
props. This segment is the mothers of
America and nobody is ever going to argue that mom’s doesn’t warrant a holiday. Considering that mothers have such a large
role in parenting chores, it’s only worthwhile that they have a national
holiday dedicated to them.
The history of Mother’s Day
can be traced back to England, who was among the first countries to set aside
one day of the year to celebrate moms.
This English holiday can be found in the eighteenth century and was
rooted in the way that English society was set up at the time. Considering that a large number of English
mothers worked as household servants for the wealthiest English families, this Mothering
Sunday was a day that allowed mothers to return home and act as mothers to
their own children. Eventually, the
realities of the Industrial Revolution put a stop to this tradition. However, Mother’s
Day was established as a holiday in England in the twentieth century.
In America, Mother’s Day became an official holiday in 1915. Its origins can be traced back to the work
of Anna Jarvis, a West Virginian girl who was determined to honor her
mother. Anna Jarvis grew up in West
Virginia and Philadelphia, the daughter of a minister. Anna spent her childhood helping her mother
tend to her garden that was predominantly filled with white carnations, a potent
Mother’s Day symbol. After her mother’s
death on May 5, 1905, Anna was determined to honor her mother’s work. She would ask her minister to give a sermon
in her mother’s memory and on that same Sunday in Philadelphia, a minister gave
a special Mother’s Day service that honored Anna Jarvis’ mother and all of the
other mothers in the country.
Eventually, Anna Jarvis would begin correspondence with congressmen
throughout the country asking for a special day of the year to honor
mothers. The governor of West Virginia
was the first to acquiesce to this request by proclaiming that the second
Sunday in May would be Mother’s Day. A
year later in 1911, all of the states celebrated Mother’s Day and four years
later, it would become established as a national holiday.
On this holiday, children
throughout the country have an opportunity to show their appreciation to their
mother’s. Considering the vital role
that mothers play in our lives, there’s no age limit for a child to give praise
to their mother on Mother’s Day. Kids
have the opportunity to perform chores and allow their moms to take a day off
to relax from their numerous responsibilities.
Adults are able to bring gifts to their mothers. A particular prominent gift is red
carnations, which is the official Mother’s Day flower. For people whose mothers have passed away,
Mother’s Day is a day where they should bring white carnations to their mother’s
grave sights. Essentially, Mother’s Day
is a day that mother’s should be allowed a day off to bask in some much
deserved adulation. It isn’t a surprise
then to learn that Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants,
as most families are horrified by the prospect of having their mom’s cook on their
special day. For all of the mothers out
there, Happy Mother’s Day!
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