The modern-day definition of Mother’s Day is hugely different from the idea of how it started. The day was founded by Anna Jarvis who is addressed as the ‘Mother of Mother’s Day’ for her initiative. Born to Ann Marie and Granville Jarvis in West Virginia, on May 1, 1864, Anna was ninth among 11 children. Anna got the inspiration of beginning this tradition from a prayer she had learned from her mother. Anna’s mother Ann M Jarvis once said a prayer from the lesson in ‘Mothers of the Bible’ which read, “I hope that someone, sometime will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”

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Anna could never get this small prayer out of her head and when her mother died, Anna promised her on her grave and said, “…by the grace of God, you shall have that Mother’s Day.” Mrs. Jarvis had 11 children but only 4 of them lived to adulthood, other than taking care of the family, she was an active member of the church. She was part of the Mother’s Day Work Clubs in local churches which dealt with poor health and sanitation conditions in the neighborhood. During the civil wars, the women of the club, including Anna Jarvis, nursed both Union and Confederate soldiers.

In 1905, when Mrs. Jarvis died Anna became more determined to honour her mother. Anna’s resolution became firm when she discovered that adult children in the US were negligent towards their parents. In 1907, she began a campaign for official National Mother’s Day in the US. After celebrating Mother’s Day in her own city, Philadelphia, in 1908, Anna managed to get the day observed as Mother’s day in 45 states.  Finally, in 1914,  President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day as a national holiday to be observed on the second Sunday of May.

However, the commercialisation of Mother’s Day led Anna to detest the day for which she struggled in honour of the motherhood. Soon charities were organising fundraisers for the day and local businesses selling flowers, cards, and other gifts for the day.

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Anna came to a point where she was arrested for causing trouble to the gift sellers. During the last days of her life, she knocked on every door to get a petition signed to abolish Mother’s Day. On November 24, 1948, Anna Jarvis died and was buried next to her mother in West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Since, you know why Mother’s Day is observed and how Anna Jarvis struggled to not let its true spirit die, ditch the materialistic gifts, and give your mother what she deserves — love, respect, and honour.