All over the world, we honour our mothers in different ways. It is a time to demonstrate your gratitude for the love and dedication that mothers provide. It is a time when we can show appreciation for the sacrifices and unconditional support we have received. Over time, Mother’s Day has also included a broader range of maternal figures and to recognize the diversity we see in how mothers nurture and support their families.
Historically, we need to thank Anna Jarvis for conceiving Mother’s Day as a way of honouring the sacrifices that mothers make for their children. After gaining some financial backing, in May of 1908, she organized a Mother’s Day celebration in a Methodist church in Grafton, W. Va. Although Jarvis remained unmarried and childless for her whole life, she also started a massive writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians, urging recognition for a special day that honoured motherhood. Her rationale was that most American holidays were based towards male achievements. It took a few years, but in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Other celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to Ancient Greek and Roman times as they would hold festivals in honour of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. Indigenous cultures recognize mothers and caregivers as the heartbeat of the family, as leaders in the community and as role-models towards a better future for the generations to come. Mothers are matriarchs and lead their families and communities with great care and love.
Some kind of cool trivia surrounding Mother’s Day include that this is one of the busiest days for phone calls. Phone traffic increases by as much as 37 per cent on Mother’s Day and more phone calls are made on that day than on any other day of the year. Flower shops are also the busiest at this time of year, and we often see prices of flowers soar. Many like to go out and give mom a break from cooking, so restaurants are extremely busy.
How about making this Mother’s Day something unique? Mothers come in all forms, so why not make this day something as unique as whoever you consider your mom? In my mind a “mom” is someone who loves you unconditionally, teaches you, has the strength to punish you on occasion, worries about you and laughs and cries with you. The love of a mother is absolute, pure and everlasting. Mom is a fierce mother bear, the fortress that protects the family and the rock with the strength that we thought was not possible.
I hope that all of the moms I know, all the moms I have known, and all the moms that I have never met have a special day doing something that honours them in all of their individuality.
Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at ; by email at [email protected] on Facebook @orchidhort and on Instagram at #orchidhort.
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