Mother’s Day is celebrated across much of the world, but on different dates in each country. There is consensus that the day is for payment tribute to motherhoodno longer as a fundamental factor in building the family, but as a symbolic process and historically linked to love, effort, understanding and tenderness.
Contrary to popular belief, the tradition is to celebrate Mother’s Day does not originate in the present. In fact, ancient civilizations already worshiped the figure of the mother.
cibeles
Statue of Cibeles, goddess of the earth.
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In ancient Greece, for example Rhea She was not only the goddess of fertility and motherhood, but was also considered the mother of humanity for the birth of Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus. Therefore, every year at the beginning of spring, the Greeks celebrated a festival to worship this deity. Similar rituals were also performed in honor in Rome CybeleGoddess of the earth, and worshiped in Egypt isisthe Great Mother Goddess.
Later Christianity concentrated all this symbolism in a single figure: the Virgin Mary, whose day is December 8, which is officially known as the Day of the Immaculate Conception. Thus, in countries with a Christian tradition, this was the day when mothers were praised, and it remained so well into the 20th century.
Mexico and the monument to the mother
The date chosen by Mexicans to honor mothers 10th of May, It was accepted from the start.
In April 1922 the founder of the Excelsior newspaper, Rafael Alducin, published on the cover: “Mother’s Day is celebrated this year in almost the entire Republic” and assured that other associations, newspapers and state institutions had already joined the initiative. And in fact, Mother’s Day in Mexico has been celebrated on May 10th since this year until today.
Moreover, on this day in 1944, President Manuel Ávila Camacho laid the foundations of what would become later mother monumenta sculpture representing a Women with his Son in arms and is located in Mexico City. This construction is accompanied by two plaques that read: “To the one who loved us before we met” and “Because her maternity was voluntary.”
The United States and the Origin of Modern Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day as we know it today has its origins in 1865against the background of a country that has just emerged from civil war.
the activist Ann Maria Reeves began organizing meetings of mothers and calls Mother’s Day meetingto share opinions and experiences. There one of the leaders of the feminist movement met, Julia Ward Howealso began to develop as an activist and writer.
Julia Ward
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910).
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In 1870In a peaceful response to the tragedies experienced during the war and in compassion for the victims of the Franco-Prussian War, Ward Howe called on the women of the world to unite promote peace in the worldthrough his poem entitled Mother’s Day Proclamation.
We women of one country will have too much pity on those of another country to teach our sons to hurt their sons.
– Julia Ward Howe
In 1907, coinciding with the death of the mother of a member of the congregations, the women’s movement urged the government to convert May 12th second Sunday of the month– on a day dedicated to the mothers of this world.
Thus, Mother’s Day became official in 1914 on behalf of the President Woodrow Wilsonand it is the one that is still maintained in the United States and in other countries that have joined the celebration, such as Colombia And Venezuela.
Spain and the tribute to mothers
The custom of celebrating Mother’s Day on the same day as the Immaculate Conception Day has roots in Spain going back centuries.
However, in 1925 a postal clerk was appointed Julio Menendez García He launched an initiative that was immediately circulated by all the national newspapers: the need for an exclusive day dedicated “to the praise of mother’s love”. So he wrote it in his poem Mother’s Anthem.
The initiative was framed into a project called “ kindness weekwhich took place in the first week of October 1926 and featured a special day for children to give away bouquets to their mothers. This was the first official Mother’s Day in Spain, although not the last.
Mother’s Day Spain
BNE Digital Newspaper Library
A newspaper article the following year the new world He suggested sticking to the US date, which has already caught on in other countries. This is how some cities, like Zaragoza or Malaga, gradually, unofficially, began to celebrate Mother’s Day in May.
The penultimate change came with the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, who returned the homage to him christian date: December 8th. However, due to the commercial interests associated with the celebration, in 1965 the First Sunday in May like Mother’s Day in Spain.