International Mother’s Day Today

International Mother’s Day is being observed across the country as elsewhere in the world, with much love, admiration and gratitude. The day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year paying tributes and gratitude to mothers around the world.

Mother’s Day honours mothers and mother figures around the globe. It is a day to express our gratitude, love and appreciation for them through words, gifts, selfless gestures, and a reminder that one day is not enough to thank them for all the sacrifices they have made for us in the past. It is also a day to cherish your mom or a mother figure by showering them with thoughtful gifts or exciting surprises. You can also make the day memorable by sending them heart-touching wishes, images and quotes via social media.

The day is celebrated in Bangladesh through different programmes in electronic media and according grand reception to mothers of jewels recognising their contributions to the family, society and nation.

Mother’s Day has ancient Greek and Roman origins, but it wasn’t until 1914 that it was recognised as a national holiday in the US. Anna Jarvis is credited with starting Mother’s Day in 1908 in remembrance of her own mother, on the second Sunday of May, the day of her death.

The earliest Mother’s Day celebration can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honour of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday”.

In the United States, the Mother’s Day celebration started in 1872 by peace activist Julia Ward Howe, who was horrified by the carnage and suffering of the Civil War and wrote a proclamation calling on women to unite and oppose war.

However, more than 40 countries, including Bangladesh, observe the day following American culture that originated from the thought that Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis. Anna’s initiatives led to the establishment of Mother’s Day in 1905.

In 1914, Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States, declared the first national Mother’s Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honour of those mothers whose sons had died in war.