mother's day: the 411

Hello! I'm Ashley from The Creative Place and I'm super excited and honored to be guest hosting today here at BlueHeart. I absolutely adore Jessica's blog and etsy shop and was so excited to be asked to guest host today! :)

With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I've been thinking about what I would like to send to my mama and mama-in-law that would let them know how much I love and appreciate them (Check out upcoming posts this week here on Blueheart for some fab gift ideas!). I love Mother's Day and while every day we should tell our mamas how much we love and appreciate them, I do love how there is a special day set aside to honor all of the amazing women who have loved, nurtured, taken care of and shaped a child's (or children's!) life. With all of that in my mind, I started thinking "How exactly did Mother's Day begin?" and "How long has it been around?" So I began some research on the www. I found a lot of different ideas and opinions, but came up with a basic summary of the origins of Mother's Day. Below are also sources about Mother's Day and where I found a lot of my information.

Mother's Day: Origin and Beginnings
As I mentioned, the opinion on the origin of the celebration of Mother’s day appears to be quite diverse. Historical references to the formal celebration of mothers include the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Celts, as well as 17th Century English Christians who celebrated “Mothering Sunday” as an opportunity to reunite families who were living in different parts of the country in honor of mothers.

In the United States in 1907, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia schoolteacher,began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis and her attempts to create a day to honor mothers. At a church service honoring Anna's mother, Anna handed out her mother's favorite flowers, white carnations - which represent sweetness, purity, and patience (Carnations are now greatly associated with Mother's Day). In 1908, her mother's church agreed to have a special service in honor of mothers. This idea spread to churches in 46 other states which held these special services the very next year. In 1909, Anna left her job and worked full time soliciting the help of hundreds of legislators and prominent businessmen and clergy to create a special day to honor mothers. Anna's hard work finally paid off- in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers- Mother's Day.

Around the World:
Many countries throughout the world celebrate Mother's Day at various times during the year. Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Turkey also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May - the same date as the US.

Go here to see a great reference of when other countries celebrate Mother's Day.

Other great links about Mother's Day (and sources for above info):
+ Facts and figures about Mother's Day
+ Wikipedia
+ Mother's Day
+ Mothering Sunday in the UK, and here

(source)(source)
(source)(source)
(source)(source)
(Header Photo Source)
(Above Story Polaroid Photo Source - unknown, please share if found!)

Visit Ashley's etsy shop ( CreativePlace )
And read Ashley's blog ( The Creative Place )