Mother’s Day is a time-honored tradition of recognizing the women in our lives who raised us, dried our tears, and well, mothered us. Everyone has one or has someone who is like a mother to them. On the second Sunday of May, we honor those women who are our mothers. Whether we shower her with gifts, take her to a fancy dinner or make her a homemade card, what moms want most is to be surrounded by the love of her family. Knowing the people they love are safe, sound, and healthy is a mom’s number one priority.
- In the United States, Julia Ward Howe inspired the first movement toward a national observance during the Civil War. Appealing to the public for a “Mother’s Day for Peace” after witnessing the devastation left by war, Howe went on an international crusade. While her efforts never gained formal recognition for an official observance, she was acknowledged posthumously in 1988 for her achievements and her efforts for women’s rights.
- In 1905, Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis successfully introduced the idea for a national holiday recognizing mothers. Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis had followed Howe’s campaign and had pursued her own volunteer efforts during the Civil War. Ann Marie died on May 9, 1905, and her daughter, Anna, missed her mother greatly. She started a dedicated letter-writing campaign to declare an official Mother’s Day. Through Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, the first observance occurred on May 10, 1908.
- This day, to honor Anna Jarvis’s mother, grew into a national observance until in 1911 when every state participated. Soon it was spreading internationally, and on May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May.
- Mother’s Day is one of the most popular days of the year for eating out
- Carnations are the flowers typically associated with Mother’s Day
- The oldest first-time mother in the world was 70. In 2008 Rajo Devi, gave birth to her first child and was 70 years old at the time.
- More calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year.
- According to the Insure.com 2019 Mother’s Day Index, the various tasks moms perform at home would be worth $71,297 (up from $68,875 in 2018) a year in the professional world.
- After Christmas and Hanukkah, more people buy flowers and plants for their moms on Mother’s Day than any other holiday.
- One of the earliest Mother’s Day celebrations was in Ancient Greece.
- As of 2014, there were 43.5 million moms in the States. These women are between the ages of 15 and 50, and have collectively mothered 95.8 million children!
- In 2018, over $23 Billion was spent on Mother’s Day. On average, shoppers spend $180 on gifts for their mothers.
- The most popular gift for Mother’s Day is the greeting card. Every Mother’s Day there are approximately 152 million Mother’s Day cards sent.
- According to the National Retail Federation, this Mother’s Day, people will spend $2 billion on personal services (like spa treatments) for their mothers.
- There are 85 million mothers in America.
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