Page 2 - May Newsletter

8 Ann's daughter Anna continued
her legacy by creating the official
Happy Mother’s Day
holiday.
Interesting facts about Mother’s Day Anna Reeves Jarvis sought to honor
her own mother by establishing an
1 Mother's Day isn't always on the same date each year. intimate day of observance that is
The holiday is celebrated every year on the second Sunday very obviously the basis of today's
of the month of May. This year it will be on May 14th. holiday. The very first Mother's Day
was celebrated in 1908.

9 Woodrow Wilson signed Moth-
er's Day into law in 1914.
After Anna Jarvis created the Moth-
er's Day International Association in
order to streamline the intimate
day of observance to the second
Sunday in May, Woodrow Wil-
son legitimized the celebration as a
nationwide holiday.

10 Anna Jarvis would later try to stop what Mother's Day be-
came.
The holiday quickly became a commercialized opportunity for
producers to sell flowers, candies, and cards. Anna Reeves Jarvis
2 More calls are made on Mother's Day than any other felt this was detracting from the personal and intimate aspects
day of the year. of the holiday and defied this by starting boycotts, walkouts, and
Reportedly there are approximately 122 million calls are even condemned first lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using the day
made on the second Sunday of May every year as a means of fundraising. Jarvis would eventually use all her
money in this fight, and died at the age of 84 in a sanatorium.
3 Mother's Day is the third highest selling holiday for flowers
and plants 11 In 2022, over $31 Billion was spent on Mother's Day.
After Christmas and Hanukkah, more people buy flowers and On average, shoppers spend $245 on gifts for their mothers ac-
plants for their moms on Mother's Day than any other holiday. cording to the National Retail Federation.
Could you blame them? It's a wonderful gift. Around approxi-
mately one quarter of all the flowers purchased throughout the
year are bought for Mother's Day. 12 The most popular gift for
Mother's Day is the greeting
card.
4 One of the earliest Mother's Day celebrations was in Ancient Every Mother's Day there are
Greece approximately 152 million
The Greeks would have spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the Mother's Day cards sent.
goddess of fertility, motherhood, and generation.
13 Carnations have a spe-
5 Normally, Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for cial meaning on Mother's
restaurants. Day.
According to a survey but the National Restaurant Association, in Anna Reeves Jarvis used the carnation on Mother's Day to sym-
48% of people made plans to go to a restaurant for Mother's bolize whether your mother was living. A red carnation meant
Day.
she was, and a white meant she had passed.
6 The moniker 'Mom' comes from babies.
The first thing most babies can vocalize is the 'ma' sound, which 14 Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world.
is why in almost every language the word for mother begins with Albeit on different days. But in addition to the U.S., Great Brit-
the letter 'M' or is some iteration of the 'ma' sound. ain, Canada, Costa Rica, Samoa, Georgia, Australia, and Thailand
all have designated celebrations to honor their country's moth-
7 The history of American ers.
Mother's Day starts with
peacemaker Ann Jarvis. 15 41% of Americans plan to buy their mom jewelry
During and following the Civil However, flowers still remain the most popular gift option, with
War, Ann Jarvis made a con- about 72% of Americans opting for a floral present. Why not get
certed effort to foster friend- mom both?
ship and community between
the mothers on both sides of 16 Some countries still observe ancient festivals
the war. She started a com- honoring mothers
mittee in 1868 which estab- In India, people celebrate Durga-puja, a festival that pays hom-
lished the first glimmer of age to the mother goddess, Durga. The festival is a ten-day
today's holiday: "Mother's event that takes place around September or October.
Friendship Day."
17 Many women are waiting before they become