On Mother’s Day, there is always an argument about who is the best mother. There’s no such thing as a perfect mum, but rather a mother who has tried to give love the way she learned and received it. A mother gives you life and unconditional love, and her love is permanent despite all the bad and good manners you have. You realize that your relationship with your mother is what your entire life is about when you sit in her lap. Perfection fades in this kind of love, and fear disappears in her arms.
Mother’s Day is celebrated in Syria on the 21st of March every year, not only for mothers who give birth but also for those who have raised and provided love and care to children they did not give birth to.
The root of this story goes back to the Greeks and Romans, who used to celebrate and honor the goddesses Rhea and Cybele.
Moving to the modern era, we find “Mothering Sunday,” a celebration in the UK and some parts of Europe that happens to fall on the fourth Sunday of the Easter fasting period. Originally, this day was not only for mothers but also for believers to return to their original church, the one they grew up in, and serve in it. As time passed, children began presenting gifts and flowers to their mothers on Mothering Sunday. However, this practice did not last long and eventually vanished with the emergence of Mother’s Day in the USA in the 19th century by Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis.¹
She has founded local clubs for mothers to teach them how to take care of their children the right way. All of that was before the Civil War. Women’s groups were insistent on unity despite the consequences of the Civil War and its divisions. In 1868, Jarvis organized “Mother’s Friendship Day,” where mothers gathered with Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.¹
Ann Jarvis was not the only one who initiated Mother’s Day celebrations. Julia Ward Howe, in 1870, advocated for the abolition of the death penalty and women’s suffrage. She also proclaimed Mother’s Day as a call for mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873, Howe launched a campaign for “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated on June 2nd each year.¹
After the death of Ann Reeves Jarvis, her daughter Anna Jarvis made Mother’s Day an official holiday to honor and appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of mothers in paving the way for their children’s lives. The day was adopted to pay tribute to mothers and their contributions.
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References:
[1] History