It is aptly said that God couldn't be everywhere and so he created mothers. Our mother plays an important role in shaping us into the person that we become. They are our first teacher, mentor and guide through life. In fact, most people would agree that they are a reflection of their mother and whatever they have become today, it is because of their mother's immense love and sacrifice for them. And so, to celebrate and honour mothers and motherhood, every year Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in the month of May across the world. This year, Mother's Day is being celebrated on May 14, 2023 (Sunday). While just one day in the whole year is not sufficient to thank our mother for all her love and care for us, it is surely a sweet gesture to make her feel special.
But what is the history behind celebrating Mother's Day? A report on Britannica's website reads, "Anna Jarvis celebrated the first Mother’s Day when, on May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service honoring her late mother in Grafton, West Virginia. Jarvis’s mother, Ann, had organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health, and Jarvis led a campaign to establish a holiday that recognized the importance of mothers to their families. Her efforts were successful: within five years virtually every U.S. state was observing Mother’s Day, and in 1914 U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday... Jarvis, who died in 1948, spent the last years of her life trying to abolish the holiday, as a protest against its commercialization." And so, it seems, the trend of celebrating Mother's Day was soon picked up by the rest of the world.
