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25 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 MAY 2014 MOTHER'S DAY The origins of Mother's Day MOTHER'S Day, Muttertag, La Fes- ta della Mamma, Mothering Sunday, Fête des Mères, Día de las Madres... it goes by many different names, but however you say it, the expression of love and appreciation is the same. Motherhood has always been cel- ebrated. In prehistoric tribes the mother Goddess was worshiped as the creator of life. Female goddess figures are found in many archeo- logical digs. In ancient 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 cel- ebrate the rebirth of the land and the beginning of the most fertile time of the year. These festivities honored the goddess in all women. The modern version of Mother's Day with families bringing Mother's Day flowers and gifts to their moms can be traced back to seventeenth century England. Mothering Sun- day was the fourth Sunday in Lent, a special day when all the strict rules about fasting and penance were put aside. Older children who were away from home learning a trade or work- ing as servants were allowed to re- turn home for Mothering Sunday. The family gathered for a mid- Lenten feast with Mother as the special guest. Along with a rare visit from her children, mothers were given treats of cakes and wildflower bouquets. While 'Mothering Sunday' is still celebrated, most now know it as Mother's Day. The history of Mother's Day in the rest of the world is a bit different. In the USA, the early English settlers often disapproved of the more secu- lar holidays and the Mothering Sun- day tradition never really took hold. Early attempts to have a day to honor mothers were mixed with woman's suffrage and peace movements and were not very popular. Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Re- public, suggested the idea of an In- ternational Mother's day to celebrate peace and motherhood in 1872. There were many other women who were active with local groups holding annual Mother's Day remembrances, but most were more religious gath- erings and not the holiday that we know today. One of the women who was work- ing on establishing Mother's Day as a national celebration was the mother of Anna Jarvis. Mrs. Jarvis held an annual gathering, Mother's Friend- ship Day, to heal the pain of the Civil War. After she died in 1905, Anna campaigned for the establishment of an official Mother's Day to com- memorate her mother. Miss Anna Jarvis was as good as her word. She devoted her entire life to the struggle to have Mother's Day declared a national holiday. In the spring of 1908, Anna wrote to the Superintendent of Andrew's Meth- odist Church in Grafton, West Vir- ginia, where her mother had taught Sunday School classes for over 20 years. She requested that a Mother's Day service be held in honor of her mother. Thus, the first official Mother's Day celebration was held at Andrew's Methodist Church on May 10, 1908, with 407 persons in attendance. An- na Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to the church in Grafton. One was to be worn by each son and daughter and two by each mother in attendance. Another service was held in Phila- delphia later that afternoon where Anna resided with her brother. Anna had requested that the first official service be held in Grafton, where the Jarvis family had lived so much of their lives and where her mother had served for so long as a teacher and public servant. Anna Jarvis' campaign is the rea- son we have a formal holiday. 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