Mother's Day began with the ancient Greeks and Romans. During these ancient times these cultures celebrated for days with festivals honoring the maternal goddesses of their society. The Greeks honored Rhea, mother of the gods and goddesses whereas the Romans celebrated Cybele also mother of the gods with a spring festival that lasted for several days. These festivals featured games, parades, you might say carnival like festivities that included entertainment and food etc... .

 

It wasn't until the 1600's in England that Mother's Day, known then as Mothering Sunday was celebrated. This event took place on the fourth Sunday of Lent. There was a special prayer service on this day to honor the Blessed Mother Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. After services many husbands and children bought gifts and flowers for their wives and mothers. Interesting to note that a special desert was served on this day called Simnel Cake as part of the celebration.

 

In 1872 Mother's Day was first suggested in the United States as a holiday celebration by the famous writer of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe, an activist of the times. She looked to the mothers of this era to gather together in a protest against war and wanted this day to be a call for peace. In 1870 she wrote her famous Mother's Day Proclamation calling for all mothers to protest war. On the second Sunday of June for several years a Mother's Peace Day was celebrated predominately in Boston, Mass. but was never declared an official holiday but instead in years to come it evolved into what we today call Mother's Day.

 

In 1907 a woman named Anne Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia held a ceremony to honor her deceased mother who was an activist and social worker. Her mother had always wanted to establish a special day, a holiday that would honor all mothers for their accomplishments and contributions to society. When she passed on in 1905 it was her daughter Anne who lead the charge to make her mother's dream of a Mother's Day possible. Anne Jarvis persevered and along with her followers began a campaign to make Mother's Day an official reality. They wrote letters to politicians in power imploring them to create this special day. It was in 1911 that President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution that Mother's Day would be celebrated every 2nd Sunday of May as an official holiday.

 

Today Mother's Day is not only celebrated in the United States but is also celebrated around the world in countries such as England, Finland, Denmark, China, Japan to name a few. Husbands and sons use this day to honor their wives and mothers to show their love and appreciation to these great women we call wife and mom.

 

Celebrate this Mother's Day - May 9th - with a gift of jewelry from Mall4Men.com .  The Gifts4Her Department  offers ladies' necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. They have quality products at reasonable prices as well as no shipping charges on many items. Whether you're buying a gift for Mother's Day, a birthday or just to say "I love you", Mall4Men has special gifts to fit that special day.