Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Once a year, moms everywhere get a chance to kick back, relax and think about themselves for a change - but this hasn't always been the case. So put the "yo mamma" jokes on hold and get the 411 on your mother's big day.

Ancient History

The earliest Mother's Day celebration can be traced back to the ancient Greeks who honored Rhea, the Mother of the Gods during the spring. Years later, during the 1600s, England had a day called Mothering Sunday, honoring moms in England. At that time, lots of England's poor were servants for the wealthy. Most of these jobs were far away from their homes so servants lived in their employer's houses. On Mothering Sunday, servants had the day off and usually returned home to spend the day with their mom. Most of the time they would bring a mothering cake with them.

Happy Mother's Day

Celebrating in America

In the US, Mother's Day was first championed by Julia Ward Howe in 1872. Every year she would have Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Massachusetts. Her meetings were about peace and remembering all the sons and daughters lost at war. In 1907, a lady named Anna Jarvis from Philadelphia started a campaign for a national Mother's Day. She pushed her church to celebrate the holiday on the anniversary of her mother's death, the second Sunday in May. By 1911, the holiday was celebrated in almost every state. In 1914, the president made Mother's Day a national holiday on the second Sunday of May.

What to Do

Let your mom know how much you love her this Mother's Day. Give her a card, do extra chores, give her flowers, get her something nice like a framed picture of the two of you, or even make her something nice. Don't forget to send your mom a Mother's Day greeting and spoil her on Mother's Day!

Have Your Say

Do you buy your mom a present or do you make her something? Let us know!