A tradition since ancient times
The first record of this festivity comes from ancient Greece. There they worshiped Rhea, mother of the gods Zeus, Hades, Poseidon and Era, among others. This tradition was adopted by the Romans, who during the March equinox celebrated the Hilarias, festivals dedicated to Mother Earth and fertility. Later, with the arrival of Christianity, the festivities were preserved, but they focused on the Virgin Mary.
The modern origin of the tradition
Although, in the past, Mother's Day was strongly related to religion, its modern origin is not related to it. It was the insistence of the American journalist Anna Jarvis, which led to its establishment and official recognition.
Anna had great affection and admiration for her mother, Ann Jarvis, as during and after the American Civil War, Ann created and organized task forces with other mothers to care for soldiers and improve public health. . Ann called these labor days Mother's Day .
The struggle for official recognition
After her death, on May 12, 1905, Anna began a campaign to make Mother's Day an official commemoration. To achieve this, he sent letters to senators, governors and celebrities every year.
In addition to her messages to distinguished figures, Anna carried out a tribute to her mother in 1908. These actions culminated in the recognition of the celebration in 1911 and the establishment of the official date on the second Sunday of May, in 1914.
A Mexican celebration
In Mexico, celebrating mom became a tradition in 1922 at the initiative of Rafael Alducin, who at that time directed the newspaper Excelsior . The journalist took advantage of the medium to summon the people of Mexico to adopt Mother's Day. This proposal was supported by institutions such as the Red Cross and the Mexican Episcopate, as well as by the secretary of education, José Vasconcelos.
The proposal was also well received by the country's inhabitants and May 10 was chosen as the date of celebration. At that time the salary was paid every ten days, which is why it was agreed to place the celebration on that date.
