The Meaning of Mother’s Day

Moms have been celebrated throughout time of course, and in recorded events in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman times. The origins of a specific Mother’s Day go all the way back to the 16th century and the practice of visiting one’s “mother church” once a year. On that day, dark ages moms would be reunited with their children at church. In the United States, a mother and social activist, Julia Ward Howe worked to create a  Mother’s Day for Peace day during the Civil War in an attempt to organize mothers against war. It wasn’t until 1914 that President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day to honor mothers whose sons had died in war. In some parts of the country, it is traditional to wait until Mother’s Day to plant tomatoes.

Since then, Mother’s Day has gone on to become the most popular day of the year to dine out in a restaurant and to make long distance phone calls and May is the biggest month for florists. Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world, though the actual date changes depending on the country.