People from many countries celebrate Mother’s Day at different times throughout the year. But I began wondering how it all began. So I began my Mother’s Day quest. I honestly thought that it was a commercial holiday created to have that “Hallmark moment”. The moment would create enough tears to water the bouquet of flowers that follow the card. And while these moments happen, that is not the origin.
So I continued my quest and I discovered that Mother’s Day had Christian roots and no, I am not talking about Exodus 20:12 which is the 5th commandment. This commands us to honour our mother and father. While it is of prime importance, it is still not the origin.
The origin dates back to the 1600s in England. “Mothering Sunday” was established on the 4th Sunday of Lent to honour the mother church and mothers. And it is still celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent today in the United Kingdom. So Mother’s Day has Christian roots.
In the US, the idea of Mother’s Day came from Julia Ward Howe (writer of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”) in 1872 as a day of peace. However, Anna Jarvis is attributed to be the founder of Mother’s Day. At the age of 12, Anna heard her mother praying after teaching a Sunday School Class and was inspired to commemorate mothers. In 1908, she sent white carnations to be handed to mothers in the church where her mother had taught Sunday School. In 1914, President Wilson and congress passed a bill making Mother’s Day a national holiday.
Now that we have established the origin of Mother’s Day, I thought it would be fun to take a world tour and find out how mothers are honoured in other parts of the world. We will begin our tour in the Arab World. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated on March 21st , 1956 in Egypt. It was founded by an Egyptian journalist named Mustafa Amin and is celebrated in most Arab countries. However, in Iran, Mother’s Day is celebrated on December 16th. December 16th is the birthday anniversary of Fatima who was the Prophet Muhammad’s only daughter.
Next we will take a look in Asia. In China, carnations are the primary flower to give on Mother’s Day. In 1997, Mother’s Day was set as the day to help poor mothers and to remind people of the poor mothers in rural areas. Mother’s Day is accepted in China because it’s in line with the traditional ethics – respect for the elderly and piety towards the parents. In Nepal, Mother’s Day falls during the month of Baishakh (April-May). It is celebrated by giving gifts to mothers and making a pilgrimage to sacred ponds in memory of mothers who have passed away.
Of course, we cannot forget our friends from “down-under”. In New Zealand, mothers are treated to breakfast in bed. In Australia, the flower of the day is the Chrysanthemum, commonly known as the “mum”. Men wear mums in their lapels. The day was originally founded to remember the lonely and forgotten mothers.
A world tour would not be complete without a trip to Israel and Holland. In Israel, Mother’s Day occurs on the 30th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates Henrietta Szold’s life. Henrietta, having no children, established Youth Aliyah, an organization that saved many kids from the Nazis. And finally, in Holland, the earliest Mother’s Day occurred in 1910 and was established by the Salvation Army.
So however you celebrate today, honour the women in your life and remember to pray for women in the world to be free and live in peace.
- MJ
So I continued my quest and I discovered that Mother’s Day had Christian roots and no, I am not talking about Exodus 20:12 which is the 5th commandment. This commands us to honour our mother and father. While it is of prime importance, it is still not the origin.
The origin dates back to the 1600s in England. “Mothering Sunday” was established on the 4th Sunday of Lent to honour the mother church and mothers. And it is still celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent today in the United Kingdom. So Mother’s Day has Christian roots.
In the US, the idea of Mother’s Day came from Julia Ward Howe (writer of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”) in 1872 as a day of peace. However, Anna Jarvis is attributed to be the founder of Mother’s Day. At the age of 12, Anna heard her mother praying after teaching a Sunday School Class and was inspired to commemorate mothers. In 1908, she sent white carnations to be handed to mothers in the church where her mother had taught Sunday School. In 1914, President Wilson and congress passed a bill making Mother’s Day a national holiday.
Now that we have established the origin of Mother’s Day, I thought it would be fun to take a world tour and find out how mothers are honoured in other parts of the world. We will begin our tour in the Arab World. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated on March 21st , 1956 in Egypt. It was founded by an Egyptian journalist named Mustafa Amin and is celebrated in most Arab countries. However, in Iran, Mother’s Day is celebrated on December 16th. December 16th is the birthday anniversary of Fatima who was the Prophet Muhammad’s only daughter.
Next we will take a look in Asia. In China, carnations are the primary flower to give on Mother’s Day. In 1997, Mother’s Day was set as the day to help poor mothers and to remind people of the poor mothers in rural areas. Mother’s Day is accepted in China because it’s in line with the traditional ethics – respect for the elderly and piety towards the parents. In Nepal, Mother’s Day falls during the month of Baishakh (April-May). It is celebrated by giving gifts to mothers and making a pilgrimage to sacred ponds in memory of mothers who have passed away.
Of course, we cannot forget our friends from “down-under”. In New Zealand, mothers are treated to breakfast in bed. In Australia, the flower of the day is the Chrysanthemum, commonly known as the “mum”. Men wear mums in their lapels. The day was originally founded to remember the lonely and forgotten mothers.
A world tour would not be complete without a trip to Israel and Holland. In Israel, Mother’s Day occurs on the 30th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates Henrietta Szold’s life. Henrietta, having no children, established Youth Aliyah, an organization that saved many kids from the Nazis. And finally, in Holland, the earliest Mother’s Day occurred in 1910 and was established by the Salvation Army.
So however you celebrate today, honour the women in your life and remember to pray for women in the world to be free and live in peace.
- MJ
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