What is the definition of a mother? 

A mother is the female parent. A woman who conceives, gives birth to, then raises and nurtures a child.

History

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held celebrations in honour of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. The modern precedent for Mother's Day is the early Christian festival, Mothering Sunday. This festival was seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church” which is the main church in the vicinity of their home for a special service.

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Julia Ward-Howe, a social activist first brought the idea of Mother’s Day to the United States after the Civil War. She wrote the Mother’s Day Proclamation and envisioned a Mother’s Day for peace, in which women would protest against war. Some groups still observe the holiday in this manner, one of the most famous being a huge crowd of women who gathered outside the Lawrence Livermore Library at the University of California in 1982 to protest against nuclear weapons.

Our current Mother’s Day version was started by Anna Jarvis in the 1900s. Jarvis got Congress to recognize it and founded the Mother's Day International Association. Jarvis found inspiration from her own mother, who had called for “Mothers Work Days" to improve conditions for soldiers on both sides during the Civil War.

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What is mother’s day about and when is it celebrated?

Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year to honour motherhood. 

Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days in different countries. In the US and Malaysia, it is on the second Sunday in May. In the UK and Ireland, it is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent or Mothering Sunday. The fourth Sunday in Lent is exactly three weeks before Easter. In most of the Arab countries, Mother’s Day falls on March 21. Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated in honour of the mother of the family, motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence mothers have on the society.

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Flowers came to be popular gifts for Mother’s Day among other material gifts. Did you know the carnation is the official flower for this day? It is because carnations were Anna Jarvis’ mother’s favourite blooms. 

White carnations symbolize the remembrance of a mother who has passed away. A pink carnation, on the other hand, symbolizes a mother’s undying love, gratitude and tenderness.

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Apart from flowers, how about cooking up your mother’s favourite dishes? Which is a sure way to show your love to her on Mother’s Day or perhaps treating her to a lavish dinner at a fancy restaurant.

Not forgetting, ecards make great gifts too. Come and have a look at FaveKad selection of sweet and attractive Mother’s Day ecards to send to your beloved mum this May!