Mother’s Day May 8

Mother’s Day usually falls on the second Sunday in May. In 2022, Mother’s Day is May 8, one week earlier.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood take place throughout the world, observed at different times of the year depending on the country. The tradition can be traced back to the ancient Greek and Roman festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. The early Christian festival, “Mothering Sunday,” falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent, when the faithful return to the church of their homeland -or their “mother church” -for a special service. In Thailand, Mother’s Day is celebrated in August in honor of Queen Sirikit’s birthday.

Mother’s Day by the Numbers

Back in the 19th century before the Civil War (1861-65), Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia starts “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children. In 1868, she organizes “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” where mothers gather with former Union and Confederate soldiers to strengthen reconciliation efforts. In 1870, the abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe writes the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call for mothers to unite in the name of world peace. In 1873, she campaigns for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2. In the 1870’s, Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist, inspires a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering – sometimes called “the father of Mother’s Day”- work together to organize a day to honor mothers. Mother’s Day continues to be a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968, Coretta Scott King hosts a march in support of underprivileged women and children on Mother’s Day. In the 1970’s, women’s groups shed light on the need for equal rights and access to childcare on Mother’s Day.

First American Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is first celebrated in America with a memorial for Ann Reeves Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia. Her daughter Anna Jarvis starts work to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States three years earlier, as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers make for their children. With the backing of Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia, the first official Mother’s Day is celebrated in May 1908. By 1912, many states, towns and churches adopt Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, with the help of Anna’s Mother’s Day International Association. Mother’s Day isn’t official until 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signs a measure establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Phew, it really is true – a mother’s work is never done!

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Mom, Mother, Mama, Mommy, Ma – no matter what you call her, she’s always special! Our unique gifts for Mom are a perfect way to express your love and gratitude. Personalize with her name, quotes or a funny message you’ll both enjoy. Include her photo, an image she treasures or something from our beautiful clip art gallery. Show Mom you care this Mother’s Day with a personalized custom gift from PlaqueMaker.