![]() |
Holidays Information |
|
|
The Origins of Mothers Day
Most people mistakenly believe that Mother's Day is an invention of the greeting card manufacturers and flower shops - a cynical ploy to make the nation spend millions of dollars each year on greetings cards and flowers. However, the roots of the holiday are more elevated than this and go back much further, right back to the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Historians believe that the earliest celebration of Mother's Day was the ancient springtime festivals in Greece and Rome, dedicated to the mother goddesses, Rhea and Cybele. In England "Mothering Sunday", similar to Mother's Day is observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It is believed that the early church adapted the ancient celebrations, to venerate the Mother of Christ, Mary. In the 1600's Mothering Sunday was one day of the year that all young men and girls who were working away from home as servants and laborers could return home to visit their mothers, attend church with them, bringing with them small gifts. It is Anna M. Jarvis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who is credited with being the inventor of modern day Mother's Day in the USA. Her mother, who was also called Anna Jarvis, used to hold an annual gathering called "Mother's Friendship Day" that was intended to celebrate peace and to heal the pain of the Civil War. After her mother died in 1905, Anna campaigned for the establishment of an official Mother's Day to commemorate her mother's work. In 1908 the first Mother's Day celebration was held at the West Virginia Church, where the elder Anna Jarvis had been a Sunday School teacher for over 20 years. Each son, daughter and mother present wore white carnations to symbolize the sweetness, purity and endurance of a mothers love. Over time, red carnations became the symbol of a living mother, with white carnations signifying that one's mother has died. In 1914, President Woodrow signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a National Holiday to be celebrated each year on the second Sunday in May. Anna Jarvis had envisioned Mother's Day as a religious holiday, to be observed by attending Church, but, much to her disgust, it became more and more commercialized with the sending of cards, gifts and flowers instead. It is said that before she died in1948 she confessed that she regretted having started the Mother's Day tradition. Ironically, she remained childless, but each Mother's Day she would receive thousands of cards. The second Sunday of May is the most popular day of the year in the USA to dine out, and telephone lines are at their busiest. Mother's Day has become the third-largest card-sending holiday and Americans collectively send around 150 million Mother's Day cards and spend an average of $100 on Mother's Day activities each year. In recent years the face of Mothers Day has changed and the greeting card companies have adapted to this change. You can now find cards suitable for single and divorced mothers, for stepmothers, foster mothers and caregivers. If you look hard enough you might even find one from the cat to mom. Janice Kaye is the operator of Biblical-Gifts.Com, an online shop that specializes in exclusive hand-crafted products, made out of flowers & fruits grown in the land of the Bible. They also offer a selection of the best Christian gifts and souvenirs made in the Holy Land.
MORE RESOURCES:
Holidays - Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
Memorial Day Flowers Monday, May 30th is Memorial Day. Your local florist can provide fresh or silk flowers for honoring the memory of your loved ones. Beyond All Tied Up With A Bow - Great Tips for Creating Beautifully Wrapped Holiday Gifts No matter what the season, packages make a statement even before they're opened. Whether it's a hostess gift for that perfect holiday party, the perfect something for your loved one, or Secret Santa at the office, you want your packages to reflect the thought put into the purchase. Costumes! Do They Reflect On Your True Personality? Costumes are a great way to escape reality, and wearing your favorite costume (especially on Halloween night) lets you transform your personality into your desired character of choice, and allows you to become someone else for a day!Now do you wear the same Halloween outfit every year, or do you go against the norm, and choose something wild and crazy by adding outrageous makeup, wigs, and accessories! Well, let's have some fun and put your personality to the test, and see what you usually attract to in a costume design.What I would like to do is break down some popular themes, and see what costume would appeal to which personality types:Medieval Renaissance Costumes: A person looking to wear this historic outfit would have charisma, charm, and passion in their blood. Making Mom Happy on Mothers Day Mothers day is May 8th this year, are you ready? Are you in need of an idea for how to treat mom on Mothers Day that will not break your budget? How about indulging mom with a delightful home cooked brunch and a special tea pot for her to take home at the end of the day.Making moms eyes sparkle with a beautifully set table is as easy as pulling out that lacey table cloth and placing a vase of fresh flowers in the center for her to enjoy. Buying Jewelry for Mother's Day or How To Buy The Perfect Gift for Mom Without Getting Ripped Off Jewelry can be the perfect gift for mom on Mother's Day, but there are pitfalls, especially if you rush at the last minute. Procrastination and a lack of knowledge can be rewarded with overpaying for a piece of jewelry or even worse, being ripped-off. Find Your Favorite Swashbuckling Pirate Costume! "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" If you have seen the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, you'll remember this song! Now you're looking for a great pirate costume?well, you've come to the right place! Transform yourself into a famous swashbuckling pirate on Halloween night, and become the life of the party!This is your night to go all out! Become the character in all senses-walk, talk, and look the role! You can practice on your pirate speak, but now it's time to get your pirate accessories taken care of.On this site, you can find a wide variety of pirate costumes and accessories! Get your eyepatch, your wig, your vest, a hat or a bandana, a hook, a sword, everything your heart desires to create the perfect buccaneer look! And don't forget the earring, or the parrot on your shoulder!Complete your pirate theme! The best thing about being a pirate for Halloween is that you can play the part of a friendly or evil pirate. The Gift My Brother Couldnt Give From the book A Heartland Christmas CollectionIn the first years after my brothers, sister, and I left home, there were several Christmases in which our ability to give fell far short of our desire. In fact, we often found ourselves getting very creative if we were going to give any Christmas presents at all. Consider the Egg The glorious egg, with its deep links to Creation mythology, is one of the oldest symbols of life and rebirth known to us. Many gods, demons and heroes have sprung from eggs. Gods Gift to You... Mom Have you ever thought what you would have done without your Mother? Then why is it Mom's are usually the low woman on the totem pole? God thought enough of us to give us an earthly Guardian Angel and so many times, more than we could truthfully count this is the person we lash out at the most with the excuse it's OK it's only Mom. Thinking of the old cliché "we always hurt the one we the love the most" truly believing that all is forgiven. Getting Great Pictures of the Kids this Halloween There she was in all her glory. Long white lab coat, frizzy hair, safety goggles -- and a face smeared with the black ash of an experiment gone terrifically wrong. Gift Wrapping Ideas If you're tired of your gifts looking like everyone else's, put some creative thought to it. Gifts don't have to just be paper and ribbon that you bought at the store. Tips For Less Holiday Stress Holiday Stress? Some Tips For Having LessWe all dream of having wonderful holidays. We start each day full of the spirit of the season. Maybe This Christmas Will Be Different.... Have you always dreamed of a Norman Rockwell Christmas - where everyone is singing Christmas carols and there is joy in the house? Alas, your Christmas memories are often filled with Uncle Joe getting drunk and your parents ending up in a fight. By the end of Christmas day family members are mad and no one is talking to one another. 10 Great Gift Ideas for Fathers Day What do you get for the man who has always been there for you? You want it to be something special, something he hasn't gotten before, something that he will cherish. It cannot be the tired old gift of after shave lotion or soap on a rope. Get Organised for Christmas... NOW! Hasn't time flown? Only six weeks to Christmas!Now you may think that you're too busy to even contemplate that far ahead, however if you don't get your act together and prepare well in advance, instead of enjoying that time you could end up being totally stressed and miss valuable opportunities.Your Business ChecklistHave you planned and booked the venue for your team break-up?Do you know who will be having holidays and who will be working?Do clients, suppliers, colleagues etc. FIREWORKS--OR, OOH, AAH, How Do They Do That? One of my earliest memories involves a Fourth of July spent at Annandale, Minnesota, sitting on a hill and watching fireworks. Our family had a cabin on Cedar Lake, a mile and a half away, and we had come to the display with a recently emptied ice cream tub filled with popcorn and a thermos of raspberry Kool-Aid. How to Make Your Own Printable Invitations for Any Occasion Even with modern technology like email and cell phones, printed invitations have remained the most common way to let people know about your upcoming party and will continue to remain popular due to the timeless rules of party etiquette. Invitations can be a major cost, especially for large parties, like weddings and some baby showers. How to Create an Irresistible Valentine's Day Centerpiece Valentine's Day is just around the corner which of course makes us think of love, romance and of course flowers! It seems this special day wouldn't be complete without them. Flowers touch our souls and brighten our spirits which is why they have remained a popular choice for "lovebirds" all over the world!Depending on your mood and the flowers you pick, you can make this arrangement whimsical or elegant, so gather what you need and let's get started!Supplies:Store bought heart shaped basket (about 4 inches deep) Florist foam Plastic lining Flowers - at least two varieties Larger flowers (all same color) such as carnations or roses for center and filler flowers for accentFollow these simple steps to create your own Valentine's Day Centerpiece:Line heart shaped basket with heavy plastic Cut a piece of florist foam in the shape of a heart~ foam should fill up entire basket Soak foam in water and place it in the basket Cut center flowers (carnations or roses) the same depth as the basket or slightly longer Stick these flowers into the foam in the shape of a heart~fill with enough flowers so no foam is showing Cut accent flowers to the same length and fill in around the heart shaped flowers until the basket is completely filled and no foam is showing Flowers should be flush with the top of the basket or slightly higherCreate this centerpiece for yourself or make one for someone you care about. Hassle-Free Holiday Baking: 6 Easy Days to Perfect Christmas Cookies Like many people, I love the idea of making a large assortment of Christmas cookies during the holidays, but I find it difficult to find the time to get it done. As a working mother, cookbook author and webmaster of Christmas-Cookies. How to Host Thankgiving Dinner and Enjoy it Anyway You've been nominated; or perhaps your family has issued a decree; or perhaps it's simply your turn. No matter what the reason, you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year. |
| home | index |site map |
| © 2006 |