Teacher
Guide To Mother's Day
Mothers Day is a holiday where you give thanks to a mom, grandma, sister, aunt, friend, or anyone else who has acted as a mother to you during your life. It is day where mothers get to relax and have a day that honors all of their hard work, love, and nourishment. Learning all about Mother's Day will help you make this day a special one for moms around the world.
Learning all about Mother's Day begins with tracing the history of this holiday. The first Mother's Day Celebration is said to be in honor of the Greek Goddess Rhea. Rhea was the mother of all Gods and Goddesses.
In the 1600's in England, the English came up with a holiday to celebrate Mary, the mother of Christ. Eventually, this day was expanded to include all mothers. It was called Mothering Sunday. It was so important that servants who lived far away from their families were given the day before the holiday off to travel and visit their families. At this time most families would celebrate with a festive lunch and of course, a mothering cake.
However, as time progressed and the English colonists moved to America, the tradition of mothering day faded, mostly because the new colonists did not have time for things such as simple holidays. Eventually the holiday was revived in the United States. Some of the inspiration came from the old holiday, but most of it came from a social activist by the name of Julia Ward Howe after the Civil War.
Julia Ward Howe went to London in 1872 to endorse an international Woman's Peace Congress. Here is where she began to voice the idea of a "Mother's Day For Peace" to be held the second Sunday of every June. This practice went on for ten years.
A lady by the name of Anna Jarvis finally managed to establish Mother's Day as we know it today. Anna's mother was very sick for a long time. Anna looked after her and when she died she was very sad. Anna truly felt that children often neglected their mother's while they were alive and she was determined to start a National Mother's Day. Anna and her friends wrote letters and campaigned for a National Mother's Day. Eventually they succeeded and on May 10th, 1908 the first official Mother's Day was celebrated in honor of Anna's mother. From this point forward it was decided that the 2nd Sunday in May would be Mother's Day. At first Mother's Day was just a religious celebration. Eventually it started to become more secular with the giving of gifts and cards. These days Mother's Day is known as the day when the most people eat out all year long. Restaurants make the most amount of money all year on this day.
Mother's Day is a day that honors mothers; it is celebrated on different days in various places around the world. It is the day when you tell your mother thank you for everything she has done in your life.
Related Teacher Resources That Are Worth A Look:
- Mother's Day Crafts for Kids
- Mother's Day Features
- Mother's Day Spelling Worksheet- Circle
- The Origin of Mother's Day in The United States
- The Story of Mother's Day