Mother's Day 2023: History, significance, and quotes for this special day

Mother's Day is an annual holiday to celebrate and honour mothers, mother figures, and maternal bonds. Every year, it is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, and this year it will be celebrated on the 14th. But do you know what is the genesis of this day and how it became a national holiday in a few countries?

The origin of the official Mother's Day dates back to the 20th century in the United States of America. In 1907, Anna Jarvis, an American activist, hosted a memorial service at the church of her deceased mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. This marked the first official Mother's Day. Ann Reeves Jarvis, who was an activist and community organiser, used to gather women's groups to promote health and friendship in the community. She died in 1905, and to maintain her mother's legacy of working for the community, Anna organised the memorial service.

Following the success of her inaugural Mother's Day, Anna vowed to have her holiday incorporated into the national calendar. She began a major letter-writing campaign to newspapers and notable politicians calling for the establishment of a day honouring motherhood. By 1912, Mother's Day had become a widely recognised event. Her efforts paid off when then-President Woodrow Wilson approved a bill designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in 1914.

Anna had advocated wearing a white carnation as a memorial to one's mother. With time, the tradition of wearing a red or pink carnation to symbolise a mother who is still alive or a white carnation for a mother who has passed away emerged. Later, the day grew to include other people who took on maternal roles, like grandmothers and aunts.

However, what had initially been simply a day of honour became connected with the sending of cards and the buying of presents. Anna spent the final years of her life attempting to abolish the holiday she had created in protest against its commercialization.

Now, Mother's Day has become a global holiday. Many countries, including India, celebrate the day on the second Sunday of May.

Apart from this, a lot of festivals are also held that celebrate motherhood in different countries and communities. In ancient times, the Greeks celebrated the goddess, Rhea. The Phrygians celebrated Cybele, the Great Mother of the Gods.

Here are a few quotes and messages that you can send to your mom on that day.

“When you are looking at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” —Charley Benetto
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” —William Makepeace Thackeray
“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” Oliver Wendell Holmes
“My mother was my role model before I even knew what that word was.” —Lisa Leslie
“A mother understands what a child does not say.” —Jewish proverb
“Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.” —George Eliot
“We are born of love; love is our mother.” —Rumi
“There is no influence so powerful as that of the mother.” Sara Josepha Hale
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” —Princess Diana
“All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” —Abraham Lincoln
“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness, and children sleep soundly in them.” —Victor Hugo
“A mother is one who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.” —Cardinal Mermillod
“A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but also reflecting on the past in the guise of fond memories.” Honore de Balzac
“If love is as sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.” —Stevie Wonder
“Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs since the payment is pure love.” —Mildred B. Vermont
“When you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” —Mitch Albom
“There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.” —Jill Churchill
“A mother’s love is everything. It is what brings a child into this world. It is what molds their entire being. When a mother sees her child in danger, she is literally capable of anything. Mothers have lifted cars off of their children and destroyed entire dynasties. A mother’s love is the strongest energy known to man.” —Jamie McGuire
“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” —Rudyard Kipling

In honour of one's mother, people can do a lot of things to celebrate the day with her. The best thing that someone can do is give their mother a break for the day. Besides, click on "5 Simple Ways to Make Your Mother Feel Special- Mother's Day 2023"  to know more about how you can make your mom feel special on Mother's Day.