Who Was Anna Jarvis? The woman behind Mother’s Day and her forgotten fight
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Anna Jarvis Photograph: (X)
Mother's Day every year is celebrated on May 10. But do you know that the founder of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, fought against its commercialisation and even attempted to have it rescinded?
Every year Mother's Day is celebrated on May 10. The annual holiday is celebrated on the second Sunday of May to honour mother figures for their unconditional love, sacrifices and vital role in families. It is a day to celebrate maternal bonds and express gratitude. But do you know the history of Anna Jarvis, the main force for maintaining the sanctity of Mother's Day? Let's delve in to know more.
Who was Anna Jarvis? Her fight for Mother's Day
Born in Webster, Taylor County, West Virginia, in 1864, she was the ninth of eleven children. She was inspired to create Mother's Day by her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, a Sunday school teacher who helped start Mother's Day Work Clubs. At these clubs, the young women were purportedly taught how to care for their children.
Following her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis’s death in 1905, Anna aimed to honour her mother’s work organising "Mothers' Day Work Clubs" to improve health and sanitation in Appalachia. In 1908, she held the first official Mother's Day service at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia, featuring white carnations.
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President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making it a national holiday on the second of May in 1914. Jarvis aimed for a personal day of sentimental, heartfelt handwritten letters, not gifts. She viewed companies capitalising on the day as trade vandals and copyright infringers, even launching lawsuits to protect her vision. She died in 1948 in a Pennsylvania sanitarium, penniless after spending her fortune on campaigns against the holiday she created, with rumours that a florist paid her bills. Anna Jarvis never married and had no children, a point noted in her legacy as the founder.
Significance of Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a globally recognised, annual celebration honouring mothers, maternal bonds and the profound influence of maternal figures on family and society. It is designated time to express gratitude for the unconditional love, sacrifices and nurturing support that mothers and carers provide, highlighting their indispensable role in shaping individuals and communities.
The day acknowledges the sacrifices, sleepless nights and constant dedication mothers often make, frequently prioritising their family's over their own. It honours all maternal figures – mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, adoptive mothers and guardians – who nurture and guide.
It honours the role of mothers in nurturing future generations and their overall positive contribution to society.
