What
is the history of Mother's Day?

  Rhea of Greece .         

Contrary
to popular belief, Mother's Day was not conceived and fine-tuned in the boardroom
of Hallmark. Motherhood has always been celebrated. In prehistoric tribes the
mother Goddess was worshiped as the creator of life. Female goddess figures are
found in many archeological digs. In Egypt, Isis was the Queen of Heaven who ruled
over all matters concerning mothering. In ancient Greece Rhea was revered as the
mother goddess and in ancient Rome it was Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, and
another mother goddess known as Cybele. Most mothering festivals in early history
were in the springtime to celebrate the rebirth of the land and the beginning
of the most fertile time of the year. These festivities honored the goddess in
all women.   During
the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday." Mothering
Sunday was celebrated on the Sunday of Lent (the 40-day period leading up to Easter),
to honor the mothers of England. During this time many of England's poor worked
as servants for the wealthy. Most of the servant's jobs were located far from
home, so the servants would live at their employer's homes. On Mothering Sunday,
the servants were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers.
A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide
a festive touch. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the celebration changed
to honor the "Mother Church" — the spiritual power that gave people
life and protected them from harm. Over time, the church festival became combined
with Mothering Sunday and people began honoring their mothers as well as the church. Across
the ocean in Boston, Massachusetts, the first Mother's
Day Peace Proclamation in 1870 was penned by Julia Ward Howe, social reformer
and poet who also wrote the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
It was a rallying cry for women to press for peace and called for women to leave
their homes to seek peaceful solutions to international affairs. This tradition
spread, and was later organized in other areas of the country as well.  In
1907, Anna Jarvis took Howe's idea a step further and began to campaign for a
nationally recognized Mother's Day. In the late nineteenth century, Jarvis's own
mother had tried to establish "Mother's Friendship Days" as a way to
heal the scars of the Civil War. Persuading her mother's church to celebrate Mother's
Day on the anniversary of Jarvis's mother's death, the second Sunday in May, our
Mother's Day holiday was born. By 1911, Mother's Day was being celebrated in almost
every state in the country. On 9th of May 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made
the official proclamation that Mother's Day would be a national holiday to be
celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May.

https://www.inspirationline.com/Brainteaser/mothersday.htm

MOTHER'S
DAY CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD:
More
than forty-six countries around the globe have a special day when they pay tribute
to mothers. England for instance, celebrates Mother’s Day on the fourth
Sunday of Lent. Mother's Day is not celebrated on the same date in all countries.
In fact, some countries, such as Ethiopia, do not celebrate Mother's Day at all.
Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day
on the second Sunday in May, just like the United States. In
Cameroon, Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May. On that day, mothers
are chosen to lead the worship service in Lutheran churches. In Mexico, Mother's
Day is celebrated on May 10th. It is very common for mothers to be serenaded the
night before with mariachis or other types of music. In schools, children prepare
dances, poems, songs, plays and presents to honor their mothers. It is a popular
day to treat mother to a dinner out or for someone else to prepare a special dinner
at home.  In
Egypt, Lebanon and most other Arab nations, Mother's Day is celebrated on the
21st of March. Families usually gather for a special celebration and give gifts
to their mother to honor her. In Egypt, an "ideal mother" is selected
and honored for that year.  Both
Argentina and India celebrate Mother's Day in October. In Argentina, it is the
second Sunday of the month, while in India a 10-day festival is held in honor
of mothers in early October.  Mother's
Day is celebrated on December 22nd in Indonesia. It is common to send flowers
or clean the house for mother on this day. A special dinner is prepared to honor
her as well. In
Taiwan, the flowers most often associated with Mother's Day are the carnation
and day lily. It is common to wear flowers representing one's mother, red if their
mother is alive and white if their mother has passed away. Some people wear two
flowers, one for their own mother and one for their mother-in-law.