This Sunday, May 10th, families around the world will be celebrating Mother’s day, but how did the holiday come to be so well-known?

Often, Mother’s Day is a simple day where moms globally are presented with cards, flowers, or small gifts to show appreciation for their parenting.

According to the Smithsonian.com, Anna Jarvis set out to establish a day to honor mothers around the world, following the death of her own mother on the second Sunday of May.  Her mother, Ann Jarvis, often organized ‘Mother’s Work Clubs’ as part of a national public health movement at the time.

Anna Jarvis argued that, at the time, most holidays were biased towards male achievements and started a letter writing campaign to politicians urging the addition of a day to celebrate motherhood.  Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday in 1914.

At the time, wearing pink, red, or white carnations were common to celebrate mothers and what they’ve done, even those who had lost their lives.

As the tradition of gifts like bouquets of flowers and candy grew, Jarvis started to resent what she started; this wasn’t exactly how she wanted the holiday to be celebrated.  Despite her efforts to speak against these purchases, the tradition stayed, stated History.com on “Mother’s Day 2026”.

In other countries, celebrations vary.  For example, in Haiti, it is common to wear flowers to celebrate mothers and late mothers and their sacrifices.

Peruvian families often visit cemeteries on Mother’s day to celebrate maternal figures they have lost.

In the United Kingdom, children will often present their mother with a fruitcake known as simnel cake, stemming from other celebrations of Mothering Sunday, which takes place during Lent (when the cake is often eaten).

All in all, Mother’s Day is an amazing holiday to show appreciation for how much our mothers have really done for us, no matter where or how you celebrate.

https://womenshistory.si.edu/blog/history-mothers-day-global-peace-greeting-cards

https://www.history.com/articles/mothers-day