Mother's Day falls on Sunday, May 10 this year, so set a reminder on your phone right now to call your mom and send her a bouquet of flowers or some other gift of the like. We all know you'll regret it if you don't.

A holiday dedicated to celebrating all the joy that moms bring to our lives is a no-brainer. They did carry us in their wombs for nine months and then went through the ordeal that is giving birth, after all. It's not like they don't take every opportunity to remind us of those facts, but still. We literally wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for our moms.

However, it's pretty interesting that Mother's Day has been a national holiday in the United States for more than a century. In an age where it seems like there are unofficial holidays for celebrating everything and everyone in our lives, they're all but mere descendants of holidays like Mother's Day that can only dream of being as widely celebrated. It is hard to imagine ever sending someone a card on holidays like National Sibling Day, Roast Leg of Lamb Day and National Mad Hatter Day, isn't it?

Even considering all of this, you can't help but wonder how and why Mother's Day became a holiday as big as it is today. Like many holidays we observe annually, early Mother's Day celebrations were quite different from the flower-filled family brunches we have today. Here's how.

1. It Has Ancient Origins

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood began as early as ancient Greek and Roman times, according to History.com. However, the strongest historical predecessor to Mother's Day as we know it today is the early Christian festival called Mothering Sunday, which occurs on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Centuries ago, this was an opportunity for people to visit their "mother," or main, church, which was often located near their homes. This soon evolved to become an occasion for family reunions. Europeans still observe Mothering Sunday today as a special day for mothers, much like Mother's Day in the U.S.

2. Mother's Day Has A Political History

 

Mother's Day as we know it today really started in the 1850s when West Virginia women's organizer Ann Reeves Jarvis organized Mother's Day work clubs to improve sanitation, decrease infant mortality and care for soldiers wounded in the Civil War, according to National Geographic. Jarvis, along with other women such as abolitionist and poet Julia Ward Howe, also used Mother's Day to promote pacifism.

3. Mother's Day Was Inspired By An Actual Mother

Reeves Jarvis passed away in 1905, which inspired her daughter Anna Jarvis to organize the first Mother's Day celebration at a Grafton, West Va. church now known as the International Mother's Day Shrine on May 10, 1908, according to National Geographic. Jarvis' mother taught at the church's Sunday School for 20 years. The white carnation was the symbol of the event, which soon spread to other cities in the country.

4. The Holiday Is More Than 100 Years Old

The first national celebration of Mother's Day occurred on May 11, 1913 when members of the House of Representatives wore white carnations in honor of American mothers. This initial celebration was such a success that Representative James Heflin of Alabama introduced formal legislation to declare the second Sunday in May Mother's Day in 1914, which quickly passed through the House and the Senate that year. President Woodrow Wilson signed a presidential proclamation on May 9, 1914 that declared the second Sunday in May "as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country." President William McKinley is said to have popularized the use of carnations on Mother's Day by always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.

5. Mother's Day Isn't Supposed To Be Commercial

In the early days of Mother's Day, white carnations were a must-have item, which meant big business for the floral industry. Giving mothers flowers and other gifts on Mother's Day soon became a common practice. However, Jarvis absolutely hated what Mother's Day had become since she intended it "to be a day of sentiment, not profit," according to Mental Floss. She wanted people to visit their mothers or write letters to them, not shower them with gifts.

Jarvis spent her remaining days trying to take down the floral industry by protesting her former commercial supporters, threatening legal action on those that sold carnations with the words "Mother's Day" and even petitioning to have Mother's Day rescinded. Toward the end of her life, Jarvis became a recluse and a hoarder, and she died penniless in the Marshall Square Sanitarium, a West Chester, Penn. mental asylum that has since closed.

6. Mother's Day Is More Commercial Than Ever Now

If Jarvis could see how much Americans spend on Mother's Day now, it would probably make her sick. Americans will spend an average of $172.63 on their moms this year, compared to an average of $162.94 last year, according to the National Retail Federation's 2015 Mother's Day Spending Survey. That's the highest amount in the survey's 12-year history. Well even if this wasn't the founder's intention, I'm sure mothers across the country still appreciate getting super pampered one day a year.

7. Mother's Day Isn't Just An American Holiday

Mother's Day is celebrated around the world, but observances vary depending on where you are. Taking place on May 10 every year, Mother's Day is huge in Mexico when people flock to restaurants for elaborate luncheons. Families in Ethiopia come together each fall to sing songs and eat a big feast for Antrosht, a multi-day celebration of motherhood, according to History.com. Mother's Day is also celebrated on Aug. 12 in Thailand in honor of Queen Sirikit.

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