Mother's
Day
Mother's Day is a modern American
holiday which was rapidly adopted by people from many countries
around the world.
In spite of what you
might see or hear on the web or on the news, Mother's Day has no
ties to the ancient cultures. Can you imagine the ancient Greeks
or Romans honoring their mother simply because she was their
mother? HA! There is no tradition in common
between setting aside a day to worship the mother of all gods
(Greek Mythology, Rhea) and setting aside a day to thank your own
Mom for all her efforts on your behalf.
People love to credit the ancients with
everything. But they did not invent everything. There is lots of
room for invention and new holidays are being created all the
time. Perhaps the next one will be created by you! (It certainly
will if you are in Mrs. Donn's class because that is your
assignment!)
Here's how Mother's
Day got started: Anna Jarvis, an American
woman, believed that all of us forget sometimes to thank our Moms
for all they do for us. (True enough!) Anna Jarvis worked very
hard to convince the American people that we needed one day set
aside for each of us to do just that, to truly and sincerely thank
our own Mom, to strengthen family bonds. In 1914, President
Woodrow Wilson issued the first Mother's Day proclamation, stating
that the observance serves as a "public expression of our
love and reverence for the mothers of our country." (This is
more of a political statement than an explanation of the holiday,
but it made it official!)
Suggested
assignment for your class:
Interview your Mom (Dad, Grandma, Grandpa.) Find out things you
don't know, things like: "What kind of jobs have you had?
What clubs did you join in school? If you could travel to any
country or place for free, which one would it be? If you could
change one thing about yourself, what would it be?"
Activity Idea:
On
Earth
Day,
paint a pot and plant a seed.
For
Mother's Day,
take it home!
