Day 43 #100DaysOfOldDays

Everything has to start somewhere, including Mother’s Day!

In ancient times, Greece and Rome held a festival to honour their mother goddess—Cybele or Gaia, depending on the culture.

In England, Mother’s Day came about during the Middle Ages. People who had moved away from home developed the tradition of coming home to visit their mother church and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It became known as Mothering Sunday!

Because the first day of Lent varies from year to year, so does Mother’s Day.

In the US, the history of Mother’s Day is a different story.

It’s celebrated on the second Sunday in May each year in the US, and it started when a woman named Anna Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother on 12^th of May 1907.

Her mother had often wished there was a day in the year that honoured mothers, so with the help of others, Anna petitioned to the government to make Mother’s Day an official holiday.

On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution, stating that Mother’s Day would be celebrated on the second Sunday in May.

Many other countries also celebrate Mother’s Day at different times of the year.