Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. In the United States, Mother’s Day 2025 falls on Sunday, May 11. The American incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day traditionally involves presenting moms with flowers, cards and other gifts.
What Is Mother’s Day?
Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”
Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.
Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.
Ancient Civilizations, Mother Worship
A. Prehistoric Reverence
– Early societies, as far back as 30,000 BCE, crafted mother goddess figurines, such as the Venus of Willendorf, signifying fertility and the power of life-giving femininity.
– These symbols were associated not just with reproduction, but with sustenance, protection, and emotional well-being.
Ancient Egypt
– Isis, the Egyptian goddess, was considered the ideal mother. Myths described her as a devoted wife and a protective mother who resurrected her husband Osiris and raised her son Horus.
– Annual rituals and hymns praised her as a divine caregiver and queen of heaven.
Greek and Roman Civilizations
– In Greece, Rhea, mother of the Olympians, was honored in spring festivals. Offerings were made at altars, often in outdoor natural settings symbolizing fertility.
– Romans celebrated Hilaria around March 25, coinciding with the vernal equinox. People wore disguises, sang songs, and paraded to temples dedicated to Cybele, the “Great Mother.”
Christianity and the Emergence of Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday was originally a religious observance in parts of Europe during the 16th century.Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, it was when Christians returned to their “mother church” for worship.Over time, it evolved into a more secular tradition where children honored their biological mothers.The holiday became particularly popular among the working class, as it was often the only day domestic servants could reunite with family.
Mother’s Day Origins in the United States
The origins of Mother’s Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children.
These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.
Another precursor to Mother’s Day came from the abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2.
Other early Mother’s Day pioneers include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist who inspired a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the 1870s. The duo of Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering, meanwhile, both worked to organize a Mothers’ Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some have even called Hering “the father of Mothers’ Day.”
Anna Jarvis Turns Mother’s
Day Into a National Holiday
The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.
Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar.
Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.
By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Jarvis Decries Commercialized
Mother’s Day
Anna Jarvis had originally conceived of Mother’s Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. Her version of the day involved wearing a white carnation as a badge and visiting one’s mother or attending church services. But once Mother’s Day became a national holiday, it was not long before florists, card companies and other merchants capitalized on its popularity. While Jarvis had initially worked with the floral industry to help raise Mother’s Day’s profile, by 1920 she had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized. She outwardly denounced the transformation and urged people to stop buying Mother’s Day flowers, cards and candies.
Jarvis eventually resorted to an open campaign against Mother’s Day profiteers, speaking out against confectioners, florists and even charities. She also launched countless lawsuits against groups that had used the name “Mother’s Day,” eventually spending most of her personal wealth in legal fees. By the time of her death in 1948 Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar.
Mother’s Day Traditions and Celebrations Around the World
While versions of Mother’s Day are celebrated worldwide, traditions vary depending on the country. In Thailand, for example, Mother’s Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen, Sirikit.
Another alternative observance of Mother’s Day can be found in Ethiopia, where families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of Antrosht, a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.
In the United States, Mother’s Day continues to be celebrated by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers, and it has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending. Families also celebrate by giving mothers a day off from activities like cooking or other household chores.
At times, Mother’s Day has also been a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968 Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children. In the 1970s women’s groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.
In India, on Mother’s Day, families come together to honour the invaluable role that mothers play in their lives, celebrating the selfless love and sacrifices of mothers nationwide. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, children often present their mothers with flowers and cards as tokens of affection.
In Japan, the carnation gifted to mothers symbolises love and gratitude, while Ethiopian families gather for large celebratory feasts. Mexicans honour mothers through serenades and poetry readings, and in Nepal, a special religious festival called Mata Tirtha Aunsi is observed.
Regardless of the specific customs, the essence of Mother’s Day thus remains universal: it is a time to cherish and acknowledge the profound impact that mothers and maternal figures have on our lives.
Role mothers play in our lives
This Mother’s Day, the biggest tribute one can pay to their mother is to convey the heartiest thanks for everything they have done and have been doing for us.
Raising her kid
The first and foremost role a mother plays in this world is taking the responsibility of bearing her child. This is honestly an obligation that can never be repaid to her. It is said that it is easy to bear a child but it is extremely difficult to raise them well. But haven’t our mothers performed these tasks beautifully? It is certainly impossible to thank her enough.
Her love and care is completely irreplaceable
Nobody on this planet can match up to the love and care that a mother showers upon you. From being teary-eyed when we get hurt in childhood to waiting for us to eat food before her, a mother offers unconditional love and support. Be it any age and phase of your life, we all need mom’s words to overcome a bad situation.
Proper environment for the right development
There is no denying that a mother is responsible for what kind of environment her child is growing up in, since the very beginning. This has a direct or indirect impact on the kid’s mental health development. It is the mother, who needs to make sure that her child is getting an appropriate space for creativity, and studies.
Behavioural development
A mother has to make sure that her kid is getting the proper opportunity to explore his likeness and interests. It is only the mother who is very well versed with her child’s behaviour. She has to be all ears whenever her kid is speaking his heart out.
Imparting routine and discipline
Since day one of your school life, it is your mother who has told you to go to bed when it is bedtime. She has woken you up for school. These are very simple ways how a mother makes your routine. Once you are back from school, she tells you to sit for your homework before going out to play. These may seem like small things but they end up playing a big role instilling discipline.
Mother’s Day: A celebration of maternal love and sacrifice
