The Rough-and-Tumble Tale of Mother's Day
The Shocking Origins of Mother's Day Carry a Grim Tale
Mother's Day, a day usually brimming with warmth and sentiment, might just as well be known for its fiery roots and tumultuous history. Far from blooming in a picturesque garden, this American holiday was nurtured amidst the smoke and carnage of the Civil War, sculpted by audacious women, and transformed into a battleground between profit and principle. The saga of Mother's Day is nothing short of dramatic.
The Ancestors of Mother's Day
Mothers have been making headlines since time immemorial, and so have the celebrations honoring them. At least, these sorts of festivities trace their lineage back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who paid homage to goddesses like Cybele and Rhea[4]. The Middle Ages saw the church reimagining these events in Christian form, giving birth to 'Mothering Sunday', a celebration of the Mother Church. Versions of Mother's Day can be found throughout the world, with each nation honoring the occasion in a unique way. In Peru, people flock to cemeteries on Mother's Day, while Albanians celebrate on March 8th. These worldwide celebrations, however, are not the direct offspring of the American Mother’s Day[4].
A Birth Steeped in Blood
Officially, Mother's Day in the states kicked off in 1914, but its roots stretch back before the Civil War. These roots belong to Ann Reeves Jarvis, a social activist and community organizer, who initiatively founded the "Mothers' Day Work Clubs," focusing on lowering infant mortality rates through education and improved sanitary conditions[4]. When the Civil War erupted, these clubs focused on tending to wounded soldiers from both the Union and Confederate sides. By 1868, with the war over, Jarvis championed "Mothers' Friendship Day" as a means to foster reconciliation between the two sides[4].
Addressing a question that tantalizes any curious mind, Jarvis once asked, "Why do not the mothers of mankind intervene to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?"[4] Encouraged by Jarvis and other prominent women, various proto-Mother's Days started popping up around the country. For instance, Julia Ward Howe, an abolitionist and suffragist, penned the "Mother's Day Proclamation" in 1870, urging mothers to unite globally and work towards world peace[4].
It wasn't until Jarvis' passing in 1905 that her daughter, Anna Jarvis, took up the activist mantle. On the anniversary of her mother's death the following year, Anna announced plans for a memorial service to honor her mother, laying the groundwork for a national holiday celebrating mothers and their selfless sacrifices[4]. In 1908, Anna, backed by financial supporters like John Wanamaker and H.J. Heinz, hosted an official Mother's Day celebration in West Virginia, sparking wider interest in the burgeoning movement[4]. And thus began the struggle for the soul of Mother's Day.
Mother's Day Goes Capitalist
By 1912, Anna Jarvis left her employment to dedicate herself fully to the Mother's Day cause, establishing the "Mother's Day International Association" and forging partnerships with local businesses and pushing for government support[4]. The tide turned in her favor, as towns and churches in several states adopted Mother's Day as an annual holiday. Eventually, on May 9th, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed Mother's Day into law, making it an official holiday[1][4].
But the triumph was short-lived. Jarvis saw Mother's Day as a personal, heartfelt homage to mothers, free of commercial interest. Capitalists like Wanamaker, however, noticed the widespread appeal of the holiday and swiftly seized the financial opportunities[1]. Quickly, Mother's Day morphed from a day dedicated to the genuine appreciation of mothers into a cash-cow for businesses peddling products, a turn of events that left Jarvis visibly disheartened.
The Grand Crusade Against Mother's Day
By 1920, driven by her dismay, Anna Jarvis renounced her former financial backers, encouraging the public to forgo giving their mothers gifts and branding anyone making money off Mother's Day as "charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers, and termites"[1][2]. Her protests extended to restaurants offering special promotions, greeting cards, and even flowers[1][2].
Yet, it was the flower industry that incurred her greatest wrath. At her own expense, she distributed thousands of buttons bearing the image of a white carnation, the official flower of Mother’s Day, in an attempt to discourage the use of flowers[1][2]. She threatened a trademark lawsuit against Florist Telegraph Delivery (FTD) for using the term "Mother's Day" in conjunction with carnations. Jarvis protested the U.S. Government's Mother's Day stamp and was even arrested for disturbing the peace when she tried to physically stop the sale of carnations.
The Twilight of Mother's Day
By mid-century, Anna Jarvis found herself penniless and living out her days in obscurity, her influence and the sacrosanctity of her once unshakable cause long forgotten. In 1943, while pushing petitions for the abolition of Mother's Day completely, Jarvis was committed against her will to the Marshall Square Sanitarium in West Chester, Pennsylvania[2].
Whether this was a calculated PR move on the part of the flower and greeting card industries or a vindictive parting gesture, remains a point of contention. The bittersweet irony, however, is that Jarvis, a woman who gave her life to Mother's Day, never bore children of her own and ultimately passed away, sardonically, on the same day as the annual celebration she once fought to abolish[2].
- Entertaining revelations about the history of Mother's Day might uncover its entanglement with pop-culture and social media, as people send messages online, sharing various forms of entertainment to celebrate mothers.
- Maybe, the modern celebration of Mother's Day deviates from its initial intention, originally conceived by activist Ann Reeves Jarvis as a day focusing on mothers' selfless sacrifices, rather than commercial entertainment and gifts.
- In spite of Anna Jarvis' crusade against commercialization, termites of businesses peddling flowers, greeting cards, and other products infiltrated the Mother's Day market, causing dissent and tension between profit and principle.
- It is thought that the termites Jarvis infamously referred to represent an allusion to the detrimental impact of capitalists on the sanctity of Mother's Day.
- The dramatic transformation of Mother's Day from a heartfelt homage to a commercialized event can be traced through history, reflecting the broader influence of entertainment and consumerism on societal traditions.
