Merry's Musings

I find it interesting to know, that the Mother’s day that we now observe by honoring our mother's with flowers, candy, and dinner out was not celebrated as such when it was first conceived in this country. The following is a little information I found on the internet as I was snooping:


It was Julia Ward Howe, writer of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," who first planted the seed for a day for mothers to come together. It was about 12 years after she wrote that song that she authored the first Mother's Day ttp://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mothers-day-proclamation.html">Peace Proclamation in 1870.

The peace proclamation was in protest to the devastation that the nation had experienced during the American Civil War. She wanted mothers everywhere to protest the killing of their sons through war and June 2 was designated as the day to celebrate peace and motherhood.

She funded much of the protest gatherings with this intent and in 1873, the day was designated as Mother's Peace Day in 18 north American states.
When Howe stopped funding the celebrated events, most of the peace and motherhood gatherings stopped except in Boston, Mass., where it was continued for some time.

It was Anna Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia who picked up the thought with Mother's Friendship Day so that families and neighbors would reunite after being divided by Union vs. Confederate sides of the war.

Then on May 10, 1908, after much lobbying to the churches, her daughter, Anna M. Jarvis, was successful in having the first Mother's Day event at St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, W. Va., and in a church in Philadelphia, Pa. Jarvis handed out white carnations to all of the mothers in attendance.
http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20090508/NEWS01/905080311

History of Mother's Day: Anna Jarvis
Anna Jarvis is recognised as the Founder of Mothers Day in US. Though Anna Jarvis never married and never had kids, she is also known as the Mother of Mothers Day, an apt title for the lady who worked hard to bestow honor on all mothers.

Anna Jarvis got the inspiration of celebrating Mothers Day from her own mother Mrs Anna Marie Reeves Jarvis in her childhood. An activist and social worker, Mrs Jarvis used to express her desire that someday someone must honor all mothers, living and dead, and pay tribute to the contributions made by them.

A loving daughter, Anna never forgot her mothers word and when her mother died in 1905, she resolved to fulfill her mothers desire of having a mothers day. A Growing negligent attitude of adult Americans towards their mothers and a desire to honor her own mother fueled her ambitions.

To begin with Anna, sent Carnations in the church service in Grafton, West Virginia to honor her mother. Carnations were her mothers favorite flower and Anna felt that they symbolised a mothers pure love. Later Anna along with her supporters wrote letters to people in positions of power lobbying for the official declaration of Mothers Day holiday. The hard work paid off. By 1911, Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state in the Union and on May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mothers-day-history.html

In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association.
"She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world."

This is also the spelling used by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in the law making official the holiday in the U.S., by the U.S. Congress on bills, and by other U.S. presidents on their declarations.
Common usage in English language also dictates that the singular possessive "Mother's Day" is the preferred spelling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day