The Meaning of Mother's Day
May 17, 2006

Mother’s Day is a special day that has been a tradition in most households all over the world. It takes place on the second Sunday of May each year and honours all mothers for their contribution to their families and loved ones. However, it is not a national holiday. Mother’s Day’s roots go back in time as far as Ancient Greece, where mother-worshipping was practiced to honour Rhea, Mother of the Gods. In England, during the 1800’s, Mother’s Day was known as Mothering Sunday, when the poor who worked as servants for the wealthy would get the day off and return to their mothers and spend the day with them. In the Christian church, it was a day of honouring the “Mother Church” which eventually grew into honouring mothers as well.

In 1908, in a church in Philadelphia, Ms.Anna M. Jarvis first suggested a special church service that would honour mothers of all walks of life. This idea quickly spread to other churches and eventually to the public. In 1914, President Wilson of the United States of America issued a proclamation that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. To observe Mother’s Day, people whose mothers are alive would wear a coloured carnation as a celebration, and those whose mothers have passed on would wear a white one as a sign of remembrance.

Throughout the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated by different cultures and religions, although it may not fall on the same day as the second Sunday of May. But the meaning behind is still the same, paying respects to mother, the woman who gave birth to us, nurture us and love us.

But let us not forget one thing. Mother’s Day does not have to be just one day. Everyday can be Mother’s Day if we do not forget our filial duties and honour and respect our mothers in our everyday lives.

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