Mother's Day
Mother's Day will be celebrated on Sunday May 11, 2003

Click Below to Shop Our Mother's Day Specials
FTD
Teleflora

Mothers must be angels on earth, always at hand to doctor scraped knees, boost dampened spirits, and guide us through the minor setbacks in life. They must be models of inspirations, patient counselors, and sterling examples. They must be everything to everybody. As children age, they begin to realize the value of a mother's love and the enormous depth of her commitment. No relationship we form can ever be as close or profound.

Mothers Day is to remind us of our duty before it is too late. This day is intended that we may make new resolutions for a more active thought to our dear mothers. By words, gifts, acts of affection, and in every way possible, give her pleasure, and make her heart glad every day, and constantly keep in memory Mothers Day; when you made this resolution, lest you forget and neglect your dear mother, if absent from home write her often, tell her of a few of her noble good qualities and how you love her.

Send your mother that special gift of flowers for Mother's Day or at least tell your Mom how much you love her--and why.

A Mother's Day Corsage
Red indicates your mother is alive
White indicates your mother passed away
Yellow indicates you're a Bereaved Mother.

* * * * *
A Mother's Day corsage
has a meaning of it's own.
Red is to honor a living Mom...
But White means she is gone.

A Mom with a Yellow Corsage,
says she is always in grief.
She lost the child she cherishes...
Her flowers make up a wreath.

But what about a Mom
who has no corsage to wear?
Does it mean her arms are empty?
Does it mean her life is bear?

If your Mother's Day corsage
is adorned with flowers of white,
Go find a Mom without a corsage...
And Make her Mother's Day Right.

Mother's Day Poems
click here

Mother's Day Quotes
click here

History of Mother's Day
Information from Mother's Day, by Mary Kay Phelan, ©1965, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York.
The custom of honoring mothers began thousands of years ago. Myths were created by people as they began to weave wonderful stories about gods and goddesses who moved the sun across the sky and twinkled the stars at night. These stories were added to year after year.

Some of the first myths were told by the ancient people of Phrygia in Asia Minor. They believed that the most important goddess was Cybele, the daughter of Heaven and Earth, and she was considered to be the mother of all the gods. Once a year the people of Phrygia held a festival to honor her. This may have been the first celebration to honor a mother.

The Greek people also had a powerful goddess who was the mother of all the gods, and she was called Rhea.

Likewise, the Romans had a mother of all the gods, and she was Magna Mater, or Great Mother. A temple on the Palatine Hill in Rome was built for her. Each year on March 15, there was a three-day celebration to honor her, and it was called the Festival of Hilaria. Gifts were brought to the temple to please this powerful mother-goddess.

With the coming of Christianity, a celebration was held to honor the "Mother Church." On the fourth Sunday in Lent, people brought gifts to the church where they had been baptized.

During the Middle Ages another kind of celebration began. Since many children had to leave home to earn money, and they were only allowed one holiday a year, it was on the fourth Sunday in Lent that the children went home to see their mothers. This was called "a-mothering", and thus the custom of "Mothering Sunday" was started.

When the first settlers came to America, they didn't have time for many celebrations, so Mothering Sunday was not continued until 1872.

The first suggestion for a Mother's Day in America was made by the famous writer, Julia Ward Howe. However, no one took her suggestion seriously. Other people, such as Mary Towles Sasseen, a teacher in Henderson, Kentucky, suggested that her pupils plan a musical program for their mothers.

A woman named Anna Jarvis is considered the real founder of Mother's Day in America. She was born in 1864 and lived in Grafton, West Virginia during her youth. The Civil War had ended when Anna was only one year old, yet there was still much hatred among families in West Virginia. Anna heard her mother say many times that she hoped "sometime, somewhere, someone will found a Mother's Day." She was convinced that if the family honored their mother on a special day, the fighting and hatred would end.

When Anna's mother died, Anna made a promise to herself that she would be the "someone" to make her mother's wish come true. At her request the minister in Grafton, West Virginia, held a Mother's Day service on May 12, 1907, and this service is remembered as the first Mother's Day celebration in the United States.

Anna continued to write letters in support of a national Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May, and by 1909, almost every state was celebrating this special day. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in every state.

Anna continued to write letters and give speeches, and she organized the International Mother's Day Association. Before she died in 1948, her idea had spread around the world, and more than forty countries were observing Mother's Day.

Traditions for Mother's Day
Mother's Day is celebrated in many different countries, and not all of them celebrate it on the same date nor in the same manner. Norway observes Mother's Day on the second Sunday in February, and in Argentina, it's the second Sunday in October. Lebanon celebrates Mother's Day on the first day of spring, and in South Africa, it's the first Sunday in May.

In parts of Yugoslavia where the Serbian people live, Mother's Day is called "Materice", and it is observed two weeks before Christmas. On "Materice" boys and girls tiptoe into their mother's bedroom very early in the morning and tie her up. When she awakens, she is surprised to find herself all tied up, and she begs the children to untie her, promising to give them little gifts which she has hidden under her pillow.

In India, the Hindu people celebrate a ten-day festival called Durga Puja early in October. It is to honor Durga, the Divine Mother. Durga is the most important of all Hindu goddesses in India. She is supposed to be very tall and to have ten arms. In each arm she carries a weapon to destroy evil.

In both Spain and Portugal, Mother's Day is closely linked to the church. The eighth of December is the day that tribute is paid to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. It is also the day when children honor their mothers.

Mother's Day in France is celebrated much like a family birthday, and it occurs on the last Sunday in May. The entire extended family gathers around the family dining table for dinner, and at the end of the meal a beautiful cake is presented to the mother.

Sweden also has a family holiday on the last Sunday in May. Shortly before Mother's Day the Swedish Red Cross sells tiny plastic flowers. The money from these "Mother's Flowers" is used to give vacations to mothers with many children.

In Japan, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May as it is in North America. An exhibit of pictures drawn by children between the ages of six and fourteen, called "My Mother" are entered into a "traveling exhibit." This exhibit is held every four years, and it travels to many different countries. By looking at the pictures, boys and girls learn how children live in other parts of the world.

From the largest countries to the smallest, people almost everywhere celebrate Mother's Day. The days and the ways may be different, yet the idea is still the same - to honor mother in some special way.

Mother's Day Activities
Activities to honor mothers is different for each country or even for each family. Some children make breakfast for their mothers and serve it to them in bed when they awaken on Mother's Day. Others make little gifts, buy special cards, flowers, or gifts. Dinner is prepared by children as a surprise or mother is taken out to eat for her special day.

Churches hold special services to celebrate Mother's Day, and Flower Shows are celebrated around North America.

A mother does not have to be the woman who gave birth to you. There are many women who are still considered a mother to someone even though they did not give birth to them. My own mother was adopted, and she honored the mother who raised her. Also, there are women who have never given birth to a child, yet they mother other children or even their pets. Thus, they too should be honored on Mother's Day. Sending flowers, cards, or gifts to those who have mothered us throughout our growing years is a very special way of saying thank you for loving me.

Mother's Day Around the World
Everyone in the world has a mother, so it stands to reason that countries all around the world honor mothers with a special day. How is Mother's Day celebrated across the globe?

In Great Britain, Mother's Day is sometimes confused with Mothering Sunday, an English holiday that falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent. But Mother's Day is now observed in England as well, and the traditions associated with Mothering Sunday have been largely forgotten.

In Yugoslavia, Mother's Day is called Materice, and it's celebrated a week after a related holiday, Children's Day (called Dechiyi or Detinci). Children's Day is celebrated on a Sunday in early December. On that day, parents tie up their children and refuse to release them until they are good. On the following Sunday, the children tie up their mother, releasing her only when she has paid them with sweets or other goodies. Fathers aren't spared either-their day (called Ochichi or Ocevi) arrives on the third Sunday. On that day, children try to tie their father to a bed or chair. To be released, the father must promise coats, shoes or other more expensive items. These promises usually appear a short time later as Christmas gifts.

Mother's Day is an important occasion in Hispanic cultures. In Mexico, Mother's Day is always celebrated on May 10th. When the holiday falls on a weekday, mothers take the day off from work and children stay home from school. Other Latin American countries celebrate Mother's Day in May, and Argentina celebrates it in October. In Spain and Portugal, Mother's Day is celebrated on December 8, which is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mothers are honored along with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In India, there is a ten-day festival in October called Durga Puja. This festival celebrates Mother's Day and honors Durga, the Divine Mother and the most significant goddess in the Hindu faith.

There are many more countries around the world where Mother's Day is celebrated. And that's no surprise, since everyone can agree that mothers deserve our thanks and love, on Mother's Day and all year long.

Countries that celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May:
Denmark
Finland
Italy
Turkey
Australia
Belgium
Japan

Countries that celebrate Mother's Day
on May 10:
Mexico
Bahrain
Hong Kong
India
Malaysia
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
United Arab Emirates

Other Dates:
Norway -- Second Sunday in February
Argentina -- Second Sunday in October
Lebanon -- First day of spring
South Africa -- First Sunday in May
Yugoslavia (Serbians only) -- Two weeks before Christmas
Spain and Portugal -- December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
France -- Last Sunday in May
Sweden -- Last Sunday in Everyone in the world has a mother, so it stands to reason that countries all around the world honor mothers with a special day.

Mom Links
Biography.com 100 Moms
Mother's Day Poems for Free