The Origin of Mother's Day

Did you know that the history of Mother's Day is more complex than most people realize? It has roots in the traumas of war, which have shaped the holiday in unexpected ways. Here are five fascinating facts that shed light on its origins.

1. Mother's Day began as a tribute to one woman.

Anna Reeves Jarvis, a resident of West Virginia, was the founder of Mother's Day, a day dedicated to celebrating and honoring all mothers around the world. Anna initiated this movement to honor her beloved mother, Ann, who passed away on May 9, 1905. She organized the very first official celebration of Mother's Day three years later at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. Her tireless efforts and strong advocacy for this special day culminated in President Woodrow Wilson signing a bill in 1914, recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Ann, the mother of Anna Reeves Jarvis, was the inspiration behind the creation of this historic day to honor and cherish all mothers, who are the backbone of our society.

2. Mother's Day started as a protest against the war.

While many believe that Jarvis is the sole founder of Mother's Day, it's important to note that the idea had been proposed with a different focus prior to her efforts. Specifically, renowned poet and author Julia Ward Howe had put forth the idea of a Mothers' Peace Day many decades prior. This initiative was aimed at promoting global unity following the Civil War in America and the Franco-Prussian War in Europe. Howe envisioned women coming together once a year in parlors, churches, or social halls to listen to sermons, present essays, sing hymns, or pray if they wished, all in the name of promoting peace. The idea was to create a day that would encourage women to unite and work towards a common goal of peace. Although this early attempt to establish a peace-focused Mother's Day eventually faded away, Jarvis' concept went on to gain tremendous popularity in the years that followed.

3. Mother's Day is a major commercial event valued at around $25 billion.

It's interesting to note that in the United States, Mother's Day has grown to become a highly lucrative industry, generating a whopping $25 billion in revenue. According to the National Retail Federation's 2019 data, those who celebrate this occasion spend an average of $200 on gifts for their beloved moms. It's worth mentioning that Mother's Day is the second most popular time of year for purchasing flowers, with the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons taking the lead. In fact, people spend over $5 billion on floral arrangements alone and another $5 billion on jewelry and special outings. Moreover, the same data reveals that there's an impressive $843 million spent on cards, and an even more staggering $2.6 billion each on flowers and gift certificates. Clearly, the holiday has become a significant contributor to the country's economy, and people are more than happy to show their appreciation towards their mothers on this special day.

4. Jarvis departed with a sense of remorse as a result of this particular notion.

The complete opposite of what Jarvis would have preferred is commercialism: She pursued the aggressive marketing of florists throughout her life, finally coming under arrest for causing public disruptions, according to CNN. She also criticized Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady, for using Mother's Day to promote the welfare of women and children in general. She didn't even believe in groups exploiting the occasion to generate money for charity since she didn't believe their motivations were pure and thought they were taking advantage of the holiday.

According to Nat Geo, she stated in 1920, "It is not our pleasure to have Mother's Day become the burdensome, wasteful, expensive gift day that Christmas and other special days have become." We will stop celebrating Mother's Day — and we know how — if the American people are not willing to defend it from the hordes of con artists who would overwhelm it with their scams.

Jarvis never made any money off of her invention. She was 84 years old when she passed away in a sanitarium in 1948, having spent all of her money fighting the commercialization of the event.

5. The white carnation is the flower for Mother's Day.

Shortly after Jarvis' mother passed away, the white carnation was designated as the holiday's official flower. For the first Mother's Day celebration on May 10, 1908, three years after that tragedy, Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in her mother's honor, according to Time.

Jarvis equated the form and growth of that blossom to a mother's love. In a 1927 interview that was cited by Nat Geo, she remarked, "Mothers hug their children to their hearts, their mother love never dying, just as the carnation does not drop its petals but hugs them to its heart as it dies."

A white carnation is a good option if you're buying flowers for mom this year, but also take a moment to reflect on the holiday's noncommercial beginnings. Since love is what matters most, it isn't about giving gifts like jewelry, cards, flowers, or gift cards.