About Mother's Day
The modern holiday of Mother's Day originated in the United States in the early 20th century. The woman credited with founding the holiday is Anna Jarvis, who began campaigning for a day to honor mothers after her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died in 1905.
Ann Reeves Jarvis had been a community activist and had organized Mother's Day Work Clubs during the Civil War to help improve public health and sanitation. She also organized a Mother's Friendship Day in the 1860s, which was meant to bring together families that had been divided by the conflict.
After her mother's death, Anna Jarvis worked tirelessly to promote a national holiday honoring mothers. She organized the first Mother's Day celebration in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908, and later lobbied Congress to establish the holiday nationwide.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation officially designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. The holiday quickly became popular, with people giving gifts and cards to their mothers as a way of expressing their love and gratitude.
Over time, Mother's Day has become a global holiday, celebrated in many countries around the world on different dates. But the origins of the holiday are rooted in the efforts of Anna Jarvis and her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, to honor the sacrifices and contributions of mothers everywhere.
Ann Reeves Jarvis had been a community activist and had organized Mother's Day Work Clubs during the Civil War to help improve public health and sanitation. She also organized a Mother's Friendship Day in the 1860s, which was meant to bring together families that had been divided by the conflict.
After her mother's death, Anna Jarvis worked tirelessly to promote a national holiday honoring mothers. She organized the first Mother's Day celebration in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908, and later lobbied Congress to establish the holiday nationwide.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation officially designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. The holiday quickly became popular, with people giving gifts and cards to their mothers as a way of expressing their love and gratitude.
Over time, Mother's Day has become a global holiday, celebrated in many countries around the world on different dates. But the origins of the holiday are rooted in the efforts of Anna Jarvis and her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, to honor the sacrifices and contributions of mothers everywhere.