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Origin of Mother's Day | Why do we celebrate Mother's Day?

Mother's Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. The American incarnation of Mother's Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Mother's Day falls on Sunday, May 8, this year. It may surprise you to know that celebrations honoring mothers are ancient traditions, not a Hallmark invention.

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Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. The origins of Mother's Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start "Mothers' Day Work Clubs" to teach local women how to properly care for their children.