The Long History of Honoring Mothers

By Joe Bullick

Contrary to popular belief, Mother’s Day was not conceived and fine-tuned in the boardroom of Hallmark.  The earliest tribute to mothers dates back to the annual spring festival the ancient Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities and to the ancient Roman custom of making offerings to the great mother of gods, Cybele.  In England during the 17th century, Mothering Sunday was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

In the United States, observing a day to honor mothers began nearly 150 years ago when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness about the poor health conditions in the community.  She called it Mothers’ Work Day. 

Fifteen years later, Julia Ward Howe, the author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, organized a day encouraging mothers to rally for peace since she believed that mothers bore the loss of human life more harshly than anyone else.  In 1905, Anna Jarvis died and her daughter, who was also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life of her mother. 

In 1914, Anna’s hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday. 

As I see the mothers of today with all the modern things, they have come a long way from the early Western Pennsylvania mothers.  Mothers then rose early, stirred up the fire, fetched water and put it on to boil. Then cows were milked.  Fortunately, no one on the frontier expected gourmet meals so plain food, simply cooked was the order of the day. 

Mothers have always worked hard.  In 1976 Erma Bombeck wrote one of her best-loved articles about when God created mothers.  These were the specifications:  She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; Have 180 moveable parts . . . all replaceable; Run on black coffee and leftovers; Have a lap that disappears when she stands up; A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair; And six pairs of hands...

Mother’s Day has flourished, becoming the most popular day of the year to dine out.  I love this quote from Sophia Loren:  “Is my mother my friend? I would have to say, first of all she is my Mother, with a capital 'M'; she's something sacred to me. I love her dearly...yes, she is also a good friend, someone I can talk openly with if I want to.”

Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

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