MOTHERS DAY - NOW YOU KNOW
Cynic that I am, I believed that Hallmark created Mother's Day.No so according to sources that claim Mother's Day origins lie in antiquity. According to MothersDayCentral.com, the ancient Egyptians held ceremonies and celebrations each year to honor the goddess Isis. To the Egyptians, Isis represented motherhood and fertility, and was believed to be the mother of Horus, who was considered to be the mythological ruler of Egypt. Thus, Isis became the "mother of all pharaohs" and the celebration of Isis became a celebration of mothers. For many, this is the starting point of Mother's Day history.
It is believed that the Romans had their own Mother's Day, by holding an annual celebration for the goddess Cybele, the "Great Mother." Cybele originated as a Phrygian goddess, worshiped by the ancient Romans as the mother of a fertile earth.
The Greek, too, celebrated a Mother's Day of sort. Cybele's Greek counterpart was a goddess by the name of Rhea. The ancient Greeks would hold festivities over several days, usually in the spring, to honor this "mother of all goddesses." Games, festivals, fresh flowers and parades were all part of the early celebrations that could be considered part of the history of Mother's Day. More thoroughly documented is the medieval part of the history of Mother's Day. In the United Kingdom, Mother's Day is celebrated in the middle of the Lent season. According to the London Times, the British Mother's Day origin lies in Mothering Sunday, although the mothering is often though to symbolize churches rather than women.
Mothering Sunday was the day, "when local churches honoured their mother church and also an excuse for a little spree during the long period of abstinence running up to Easter," wrote the London Times.
By the 17th century, the holiday became one for young people working in domestic service to return home to their mothers with small gifts from their place of work.In the United States, even before there was an official Mother's Day, there were efforts to set aside certain days to honor mothers. According to World Book Advanced, in 1872, Julia Ward Howe suggested June 2nd be a day of peace, honoring mothers in the United States. She held an annual Mother's Day meeting in Boston for several years to celebrate the day.
Submitted by Gerrie Ferris Fingerhttp://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com/ The official Mother's Day, as recognized by an act of Congress, was the brainchild of Anna Jarvis, a school teacher who lived in Grafton, W.Va., with her mother also named Anna. Jarvis was devastated by her mother's death in 1905 on May 10.
"As it became clear that the florists were molding her 'holy day' to their own ends, Jarvis became increasingly angered and alienated," wrote Schmidt. Jarvis became a harsh critic of the way Mother's Day was being celebrated. She called greeting cards "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write." She urged people to wear celluloid buttons and not to buy flowers for their mothers.
The Mother's Day that we now celebrate is still a time to spend money. A survey by the National Retail Federation finds that consumers will spend an average of $138.63 for Mother's Day in 2008. "Total consumer spending is expected to reach $15.8 billion," said the federation in a press release. However, it would be a bit harsh to say that just because we spend $138.63 on flowers, cards and other gifts, we corrupt the spirit of Mother's Day. Most of us probably buy cards because they are not because we are too lazy to write. Many children make their own cards to give to Mom. Yes, they do spend money on the materials to make the cards, but that small loving gesture shows that despite the commercialization in the history of Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May still remains the "finest, noblest, truest Movements and celebrations known."
Lifescript.com 2007
It is believed that the Romans had their own Mother's Day, by holding an annual celebration for the goddess Cybele, the "Great Mother." Cybele originated as a Phrygian goddess, worshiped by the ancient Romans as the mother of a fertile earth.
The Greek, too, celebrated a Mother's Day of sort. Cybele's Greek counterpart was a goddess by the name of Rhea. The ancient Greeks would hold festivities over several days, usually in the spring, to honor this "mother of all goddesses." Games, festivals, fresh flowers and parades were all part of the early celebrations that could be considered part of the history of Mother's Day. More thoroughly documented is the medieval part of the history of Mother's Day. In the United Kingdom, Mother's Day is celebrated in the middle of the Lent season. According to the London Times, the British Mother's Day origin lies in Mothering Sunday, although the mothering is often though to symbolize churches rather than women.
Mothering Sunday was the day, "when local churches honoured their mother church and also an excuse for a little spree during the long period of abstinence running up to Easter," wrote the London Times.
By the 17th century, the holiday became one for young people working in domestic service to return home to their mothers with small gifts from their place of work.In the United States, even before there was an official Mother's Day, there were efforts to set aside certain days to honor mothers. According to World Book Advanced, in 1872, Julia Ward Howe suggested June 2nd be a day of peace, honoring mothers in the United States. She held an annual Mother's Day meeting in Boston for several years to celebrate the day.
Submitted by Gerrie Ferris Fingerhttp://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com/ The official Mother's Day, as recognized by an act of Congress, was the brainchild of Anna Jarvis, a school teacher who lived in Grafton, W.Va., with her mother also named Anna. Jarvis was devastated by her mother's death in 1905 on May 10.
"As it became clear that the florists were molding her 'holy day' to their own ends, Jarvis became increasingly angered and alienated," wrote Schmidt. Jarvis became a harsh critic of the way Mother's Day was being celebrated. She called greeting cards "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write." She urged people to wear celluloid buttons and not to buy flowers for their mothers.
The Mother's Day that we now celebrate is still a time to spend money. A survey by the National Retail Federation finds that consumers will spend an average of $138.63 for Mother's Day in 2008. "Total consumer spending is expected to reach $15.8 billion," said the federation in a press release. However, it would be a bit harsh to say that just because we spend $138.63 on flowers, cards and other gifts, we corrupt the spirit of Mother's Day. Most of us probably buy cards because they are not because we are too lazy to write. Many children make their own cards to give to Mom. Yes, they do spend money on the materials to make the cards, but that small loving gesture shows that despite the commercialization in the history of Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May still remains the "finest, noblest, truest Movements and celebrations known."
Lifescript.com 2007
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