I thought it might be fun to share a little Mother’s Day history and trivia today, since it is only 2 weeks till we honor Mom for all she has done through the years. I know…I thought it was a Hallmark holiday as well…to promote card sales!
Mother’s Day began with offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of Gods, Cybele. Christians celebrated Mom during a festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ. In England the holiday was expanded to include all mothers. It was called Mothering Sunday.
In the US, an Appalachian homemaker named Anna Jarvis organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community. She dubbed it “Mother’s Work Day”. When Anna Jarvis died in 1905 her daughter wanted a day to pay tribute to her Mothers work, so she lobbied politicians, including Presidents Taft and Roosevelt. Mother’s Day became a United States national holiday on May 8, 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution making the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day. Wearing a white carnation, the favorite flower of Anna Jarvis, became a tradition when The House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on the second Sunday in May in honor of Mom’s. Today, the second Sunday in May is the most popular day of the year for sons and daughters to show appreciation to their mom’s.
You can thank your mother in many different ways, but this one is unique…on your birthday send Mom a gift to thank her for having you!
Okay…here’s the plug…Let Express Yourself Gifts & Baskets design a custom gift basket for your Mom this year…Some popular themes are Pamper, Chocolate Extreme, Bling Bling, Scented Room and Gourmet Lover. Now enjoy the trivia.
Fun Facts about Mothers and Mother’s Day
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There are 82.5 Million Mothers in the USA today
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96% of American consumers take part in Mother’s Day
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Mother’s Day is the peak day of the year for long distance phone call.
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Mother’s Day is the second highest gift giving day other than Christmas
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82% of the women ages 40-44 are mothers, compared to 90% in 1972.
