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Mother’s Day: A Brief History

Mother’s Day: A Brief History Hero

Introduction

Mother's Day (unsurprisingly) is a day to celebrate...well, mothers. It's a time to show gratitude, and celebrate the moms in your life. In the U.S., Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Its roots go back centuries to the Romans, and has persisted to the modern celebrations we all know. Our blog post will discuss the history, global celebrations, gift ideas, and inspiration quotes and messages to help you celebrate Moms.

What is Mother's Day?

Mother's Day is a day to honor all the Mothers in our life. It is a time to celebrate, give thanks, and recognize the impact and sacrifice mothers make for their children. In the U.S., the holiday typically consists of giving gifts, greeting cards, flowers and organizing a brunch attended by close family members. We have more ideas below on how to celebrate, so please read on :)

When is Mother's Day?

Mother’s Day: A Brief History

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Mother's Day is celebrated on different days depending on your country. In the U.S. it is held on the second Sunday in May.

  • USA, Canada, Australia, and 90+ countries: Second Sunday in May. May 14th, 2023.
  • UK and Ireland: Fourth Sunday of Lent. March 19, 2023.
  • Mexico: May 10th. Same day every year.
  • For a complete listing by country see this Mother's Day calendar.

History of Mother's Day

Mother’s Day: A Brief History

Rhea giving the rock to Cronus (in lieu of the hidden Zeus) by Karl Friedrich Schinkel

The Ancient Greeks (900 BC - 600 BC) celebrated motherhood through a Spring festival dedicated to the Goddess Rhea, mother of Zeus. In Greek mythology, Rhea hid baby Zeus in a temple in Crete, to save him from his jealous father Cronus. Zeus of course grew up to be the God of the sky and ruler of all Gods. Not bad.

The Ancient Romans (250 BC) celebrated a similar festival called Hilaria, celebrating the goddess Cybele, the universal mother of all Gods, people, animals, and plant life. Fairly big responsibility. The celebrations lasted several days, and started on March 15th (the ides of March).

An early form of Mother's Day was observed during the 1600s in England through a custom called "Mothering Sunday." This was a day when people would visit their "mother church" (the main church in their area) and honor the Virgin Mary. Over time, the celebration became more secular, and people started honoring their own mothers as well. Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Mother’s Day: A Brief History

Anna Jarvis circa the 1900s

By the 1800s the tradition had started to fizzle out in all parts of the world. That is until 1907, when American Anna Jarvis hosted a memorial service for her mother on the second Sunday in May at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She repeated the service the following year this time commemorating all mothers. The ceremony gained momentum and in 1910 the Governor of WV made Mothers' Day an official day for the state. Anna Jarvis started a letter writing campaign to other Governors to expand the holiday, and finally in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson issued an official proclamation declaring what we now know as Mother's Day. Ironically, Anna Jarvis later dedicated herself to stopping the commercialization and politicization of the holiday.

Today, Mother's Day is celebrated by more than 80% of Americans who spend more than $30B on the 85M+ moms in the US. More than 100 countries celebrate the day, with over 2B Moms in the world. The majority celebrate on the second Sunday in May, but dates vary by geography (see above).

Celebrating Mother’s Day

There are many ways to celebrate Mother's Day and make it special for your mom. Here are some ideas:

  1. Capture your favorite memories of Mom using the Lalo app. We’ve curated a set of questions to get you started, available on both Android and iOS.
    2. Mother’s Day: A Brief History
  2. A phone or video call. Call your Mom!
    3. Mother’s Day: A Brief History
  3. Send your mom a card, make it yourself to add a personal touch.
    4. Mother’s Day: A Brief History

    Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels

  4. Flowers, you can never go wrong with a local florist.
    5. Mother’s Day: A Brief History

    Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels

  5. Send a gift, check out this blog post for lots of creative mothers day gifts.
    6. Mother’s Day: A Brief History
  6. Take her out for lunch or dinner at a restaurant she likes, or cook her favorite meal at home (or both!).
    7. Mother’s Day: A Brief History
  7. Do something special with her on the weekend - maybe go shopping together, go hiking in the mountains or just spend some time together.
    8. Mother’s Day: A Brief History

    Photo by Josh Willink on Pexels

Happy Mother's Day

We hope that you have a wonderful Mother's Day!

See More Lalo Mother’s Day Posts

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Lalo!

  1. Lalo Mother’s Day Capsules
  2. 50 Perfect Gifts for Mother’s Day
  3. 50 Activities to Celebrate Mother’s Day
  4. 25 Movies to Watch on Mother’s Day
  5. 25 Songs for Mother’s Day
  6. Mother’s Day Quotes
  7. Mother’s Day Poems
  8. The Perfect Message for a Mother’s Day Card
  9. Mother’s Day History 101, How Did it Start?
  10. Mother’s Day in Mexico
  11. 10 Mommy and Me Outfits
  12. 50 Mother’s Day Trivia Questions
  13. Happy Mother’s Day Images, Backgrounds and Wallpapers
  14. 50 Mother’s Day Coloring Sheets
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