The Origins Of Mother’s Day.

No, Mother’s Day was not invented by Hallmark. However, it has its origins here in the USA.  Anna Jarvis was a school teacher who started a campaign to organize a holiday honoring mothers. It began as a way to honor the memory of her own mother; Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis.

The elder Jarvis had devoted much of her life to her church in Grafton, West Virginia. In May of 1908 the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church held a service honoring mothers and the tradition began.

In the following years Anna Jarvis would gain support for her goal of a national observance of mothers. That goal was reached in 1914 when Congress established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day!