Mother’s Day – the Modern Tradition
Mother’s Day, as celebrated in the United States, was said to have been influenced by Mothering Sunday as practiced in the United Kingdom. Social activist Julia Ward Howe brought the idea over from the British in an effort to unite women against war.
Ann Jarvis, another activist, worked to promote worker health and safety. During the Civil War she helped organize groups of women to care for wounded soldiers of both the Union and the confederates. After the war she began to promote a “Mother’s Work Day” to promote peace and social activism.
In 1905 Ann Jarvis died. Two years later, to honor her mother, Anna Jarvis passed out 500 white carnations at her mothers church, one for every mother in the congregation. Unknowingly, she began a long tradition of honoring mothers by giving Mother’s Day flowers. The following year she held another memorial for her mother and, on May 10th began to promote the idea of making Mother’s Day an official holiday. After several years of work, she succeeded. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day an official holiday.
Carnations quickly became the Mother’s Day flower of choice, and the custom was to wear a white carnation on Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis had originally selected carnations because they were the favorite flower of her mother. She selected the color white because it symbolized the purity of a mother’s love.
The problem with this custom was that it caused a shortage of white carnations. Florists adapted to the problem by encouraging people to wear a red carnation if their mother was living and a white carnation if their mother had passed on. Once again, the Mother’s Day flower tradition changed.
Mother’s Day soon became a popular holiday. And very commercial. Just 9 years after becoming official, Anna Jarvis began to see the new holiday as too commercial. She strongly opposed the ideas of Mother’s Day cards. She felt they were a shortcut, and that a personal letter the ideal way to honor your mother.
Anna, and her sister Ellsinore, spent the rest of their lives, and all their money, fighting the very holiday that Anna had created. They felt the commercialization of the holiday as an abuse of the celebration. Like her mother, Anna was an activist until the end. In 1948, while in her eighties, Anna Jarvis was arrested for while protesting against the commercialization of Mother’s Day. The charge was disturbing the peace.
Giving Mother’s Day flowers is still extremely popular. Unlike in the past, however, the type or color of the flower is completely open. Anything goes, including gifts and the ever popular dining our on Mother’s Day to give Mom a break from the kitchen.
Send flowers for Mother’s Day. Tampa is the heart of our delivery area. A-Bow-K Florist and Gifts has been a family owned Tampa florist for 25 successful years.
This post was submitted by Judy J. Smith.