In the U.S.,Mothers' Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May.
It is a day when children honor their mothers with cards, gifts, and flowers.

You may think it was all started by Hallmark in an effort to sell cards, but
that's not the case at all.

Mother's Day dates back to the ancient Romans and made its way to the United States in the early 1900's and finally became a national holiday in 1914.

In ancient times, legends agree in locating the rise of the worship of the Great Mother (named Dindymene and Agdistis), in the general area of Phrygia in Asia Minor (now in west-central Turkey), but there were many similar non-Phrygian "nature" deities. From Asia Minor her cult spread first to Greek territory. The Greeks always saw in the Great Mother a resemblance to one of their own goddess Rhea, one of many mothers of various gods, and finally identified the two completely.

CYBELE, or CYBEBE, rose to prominence in Roman literature from about the 5th century BC onward. Her full official Roman name was Mater Deum Magna Idaea (Great Idaean Mother of the Gods).

CYBELE, was one of one Mother of Gods, as opposed to the Grecian, and Phrygian goddess, who were one of many goddess, of various gods.

The expelling of Hannibal's invasion of Italy in 204 BC, by the Romans following a Sibylline prophecy that the enemy could be conquered if the "Idaean Mother" were brought to Rome, contributed to the establishment of her worship on a firm footing. By the end of the Roman Republic the "Idaean Mother" had attained great prominence, and under the empire it became one of the most important cults in the Roman world.

In all of her Roman aspects, the Great Mother was characterized by essentially the same qualities. Most prominent among them was her universal motherhood. She was the great parent not only of gods but also of human beings and beasts. She was called the Mountain Mother, and special emphasis was placed on her maternity over nature.

The Great Mother was especially prominent in the art of the empire. She usually appears with mural crown and veil, seated on a throne or in a chariot, and accompanied by two lions.

Christians celebrated a Mother's Day of sorts during a festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ.

Later, in the 1600's, in England there was an annual observance called "Mothering Sunday." It was celebrated during Lent, on the fourth Sunday. On Mothering Sunday, the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was traditional for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.

In the United States, the first observance was in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1907, it is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907.

Howe wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic.Jarvis was an Appalachian homemaker and she organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions of her community.  She thought the day would be best advocated by mothers and called the day "Mother's Work Day".

In 1908 Ana Jarvis, from Grafton, West Virginia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death. A memorial service was held there on May 10, 1908 and in Philadelphia the following year where Jarvis moved. Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful.

President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

Many other countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, as in the U.S.

BEST WISHES TO ALL THE MOTHERS OUT THERE, AND THE MOTHERS OF ALL OUR SUBCRIBERS!!!!