Every second Sunday in May, millions of people around the world pause to honour the women who raised them. But how did Mother's Day come to be — and why does it fall when it does?
The Woman Who Started It All
Mother's Day as we know it was born from grief. In 1905, Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia lost her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis — a community activist who had organised Mother's Friendship Days to reunite families torn apart by the American Civil War. After her mother's death, Anna made it her life's mission to create an official day to honour all mothers.
On 10 May 1908, Anna held the first official Mother's Day service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She sent 500 white carnations — her mother's favourite flower — to be worn by the congregation. The day was an immediate success.
From Movement to National Holiday
Anna spent the next six years lobbying governors, senators, and President Woodrow Wilson. Her campaign gained extraordinary momentum. By 1911, almost every U.S. state was observing Mother's Day. On 8 May 1914, President Wilson signed a proclamation making the second Sunday in May a national holiday.
The timing — mid-May — was partly practical. It fell between spring planting and summer travel, making it easier for families scattered across a rural nation to gather. It also gave florists and merchants a natural spring sales window, which would later become a source of bitter irony.
The Irony: Anna Jarvis Turns Against It
Perhaps the most remarkable twist in the story is what happened next. Within a decade, Anna Jarvis was horrified by what her holiday had become. Florists, card companies, and candy makers had turned it into a commercial juggernaut. She called greeting cards "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write."
She spent the rest of her life — and much of her fortune — fighting to have the holiday removed from the calendar. She was even arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace at an anti-commercialisation protest. She died that same year, childless, in a sanitarium. A bittersweet end for the woman who gave the world its most celebrated day for mothers.
Mother's Day Around the World
While the U.S. holiday spread globally, many countries already had their own traditions:
- United Kingdom — Mothering Sunday has been observed since the 16th century, originally a religious occasion on the fourth Sunday of Lent when people returned to their mother church. Servants were given the day off to visit their mothers, often bringing a simnel cake.
- Ethiopia — celebrates Antrosht, a multi-day autumn festival where families reunite and daughters bring vegetables while sons bring meat to honour their mothers with song and dance.
- Mexico & Latin America — most countries celebrate on 10 May regardless of the day of the week, tied to the date Mexico officially adopted the holiday in 1922.
- India — adopted the second Sunday in May following Western influence, though reverence for mothers runs through Hindu culture year-round in the concept of Matru Devo Bhava — "mother is god."
Why White Carnations?
Anna Jarvis chose white carnations because her mother loved them, and because white symbolised the purity and endurance of motherly love. Red carnations were later adopted to honour living mothers, while white were worn in memory of those who had passed. Today, flowers remain one of the most popular Mother's Day gifts worldwide — second only to greeting cards.
Celebrate Mum This Mother's Day
Anna Jarvis may have despaired of greeting cards, but a heartfelt, personalised card is still one of the most meaningful ways to tell your mum exactly how you feel. Browse our free printable Mother's Day cards — personalise with your own message and photos, and print at home in minutes.