Amber Minogue

Where does Mother's Day come from?

Thanks for asking.

Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but not always on the same date.

For some, it's observed on the second Sunday of May.

For others, it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, but it can also be the first Sunday of May, the last Sunday of May, or even the first Sunday in June.

Why do we have different dates for Mother's Day?

Well, that's because Mother's Day has different origins and meanings in different cultures and regions.

The early Christian celebration of mothers was called Mothering Sunday.

It originated in medieval England as a way for people who'd moved away from their home villages to visit their mother church, the main church or cathedral in their area, and their biological mothers, on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Domestic servants were usually given a day off to see their families and people would often bring gifts such as flowers or cakes for their mothers.

It became less popular in the 16th century when England broke away from the Catholic Church but was revived in the early 20th century by a woman called Constance Smith who was inspired by an American campaign to establish a National Mother's Day.

What was the American campaign?

The campaign was started by Anna Jarvis, a social activist who wanted to honour her mother who'd organised Mother's Day workers' clubs to improve health and sanitation for mothers and children during the Civil War, as well as Mother's Friendship Day, at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

After her death in 1905, Anna Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother and sent 500 white carnations, her mother's favourite flower, to be worn by all mothers in attendance.

She then began a nationwide campaign to make Mother's Day a national holiday.

She wrote letters to newspapers, politicians and religious leaders, urging them to support her cause.

She also formed the Mother's Day International Association to promote her idea.

Her efforts paid off when in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day.

However, Anna Jarvis soon became disillusioned with the commercialisation of Mother's Day.

She felt that people were missing the point of her holiday, which was to express love and gratitude to mothers through handwritten letters and personal visits, not through buying cards and gifts.