sabato 8 maggio 2021

The Mother of Mother's Day


In the United States and in most of the world, including Italy, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, and the origins of this holiday also take us back to the Victorian period.



It was 1872 when a certain Julia Ward Howe invited women to join in support of disarmament and asked that June 2, 1872 be established as "Mother's Day for Peace".

Her appeal to womanhood in the world, which involved women uniting for peace, is sometimes referred to as Mother's Day Proclamation. But the day she wanted to celebrate, was not specifically to honor mothers, but rather to organize pacifist mothers.



 Portrait of Julia Hard Howe, John Elliott (1858-1925)


Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, poet and author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic and in 1869 she became co-leader with Lucy Stone of the American Woman Suffrage Association. The following year she became president of the New England Women 's Club of which she was the founder and from 1876 to 1897 she was president of the Association of American Women, which supported the education of women.

What still remains a holiday today was created by her daughter, Anna Jarvis in 1908, who wanted to honor her mother and her work, as well as fulfill her dream of celebrating all mothers.

But the idea didn't take off until she got into business with the wealthy Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker, who celebrated it on May 8, 1910 in the Bethany Temple Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA of which he was founder.

In a letter to the parish priest, she wrote "It is our first Mother's Day".

Anna Jarvis continued to promote the holiday until President Woodrow Wilson officially recognized it as a national holiday in 1914, but it soon became commercialized, which was not Anna's intention and she didn't like it at all so much that she passed the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the celebration by criticizing the practice of buying greeting cards.

She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while she protested the commercial aspect that Mother's Day was taking, and she died in 1848 sincerely regretting having created it.

Today we are grateful to Anna Jarvis because Mother's Day remains one of the most important days for the sale of flowers and greeting cards and is celebrated, albeit on different dates, almost everywhere.




And see you soon 








La Madre della Festa della Mamma.

Negli Stati Uniti e in gran parte del mondo, Italia compresa, la festa della mamma si celebra la seconda domenica di maggio, e anche le origini di questa celebrazione ci riportano al periodo vittoriano.


Immagine 1 - Ritratto di Mrs. Anna M. Jarvis


Era il 1872 quando una certa Julia Ward Howe invitò le donne a unirsi a lei invocando il disarmo e chiese che il 2 giugno 1872 fosse istituita come "Festa della mamma per la pace".

Il suo appello alla femminilità nel mondo, che coinvolse le donne che si unirono in nome della pace, è a volte indicato come proclamazione della festa della mamma. Ma il giorno che ella voleva celebrare, non era specificamente per onorare le madri, ma piuttosto per organizzare le madri pacifiste.


Immagine 2 - Ritratto di Julia Hard Howe, John Elliott (1858-1925)


Julia Ward Howe era un'eminente abolizionista americana, attivista sociale, poeta e autrice di The Battle Hymn of the Republic e nel 1869 divenne co-leader con Lucy Stone dell'American Woman Suffrage Association. L'anno successivo divenne presidente del New England Women 's Club di cui era la fondatrice e dal 1876 al 1897 fu presidente dell'Associazione delle donne americane, che sosteneva l'istruzione femminile.

Ciò che ancora oggi rimane una festività fu creata nel 1908 da sua figlia, Anna Jarvis, la quale voleva onorare sua madre ed il suo operato, oltre a realizzare il suo sogno di celebrare tutte le mamme.

Ma l'idea non decollò fino a quando non entrò in affari con John Wanamaker, un ricco capitalista di Philadelphia, che lo celebrò l'8 maggio 1910 nella Bethany Temple Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA di cui fu fondatore.

In una lettera al parroco ella scriveva "È la nostra prima festa della mamma".

Anna Jarvis continuò a promuovere la festa fino a quando il presidente Woodrow Wilson non la riconobbe ufficialmente come festa nazionale nel 1914, ma presto fu commercializzata, il che non era nelle intenzioni di Anna e non le piacque al punto che trascorse il resto della sua la vita combattendo quello che vedeva come un abuso della celebrazione criticando la pratica dell'acquisto di biglietti augurali.

Fu arrestata nel 1948 per aver disturbato la pace mentre protestava per l'aspetto commerciale che stava assumendo la festa della mamma, e morì nel 1848 sinceramente pentita di averla creata.

Oggi siamo grati ad Anna Jarvis perché la festa della mamma resta uno dei giorni più importanti per la vendita di fiori e biglietti di auguri e viene celebrata, seppur in date diverse, un po' ovunque.





Auguri a tutte le mamme e a presto 




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22 commenti:

  1. Cara Dany, che bello leggere queste notizie interessantissime sulla festa della mamma.
    Ti mando un grande abbraccio e buona domenica
    Susanna

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Susanna
      buona domenica anche e te ed augurissimi, mia cara, è sempre una gioia immensa accoglierti qui!
      Con tutto il cuore ❥

      Elimina
  2. While i understand her not wanting it to be commercialized, it seems to me that at least if my children are buying cards, flowers or gifts for me, they are thinking of me, and that's a beautiful thing.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. messymimi
      actually it's not easy to me too to understand why she didn't want this day of feast to be commercialized, it was so lovely to prepare gifts for our Mums when we were children and to receive now 'thoughts' from our children, as you say!
      Anyway, happy Mother's Day to you too, darling friend ✿⊱╮

      Elimina
  3. I so enjoyed reading how Mother's Day originated, Dany. I always think a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a card written with meaningful sentiments is a most fitting way to show our mothers we care and love them, with heartfelt gratitude for all the love they show us through the years. As ever, thank you for your lovely post. May your Mother's Day be a beautiful one.❤️

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Kim
      darling friend, Mother Day is a wonderful day for all of us, our mother is our first friend, our best friend and our forever friend!
      May your new week be blessed with Love
      and thank you for your always beautiful words •♥•♥•♥•

      Elimina
  4. Interesting post! Best wishes and have a good week.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Linda
      Dearie, forgive my belated answer, please!
      In the hope you had a lovely week,
      I'm sending blessings of Love on the week just begun.
      With utmost gratitude ∗⊱༺♡❀♡༻⊰∗

      Elimina
  5. Oh wow I never did know how this came about, so sad that she didn't like where it ended up going and not getting out of it what she wanted, but it is so nice to have a day just to celebrate moms :)
    Hope you enjoyed a lovely day!

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Conniecrafter
      I also think it to be one of the most beautiful days of the year!
      In the hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day
      ಌ•❤•ಌ I'm sending love and hugs across the many miles ಌ•❤•ಌ

      Elimina
  6. This was interesting, Dany! I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. And that today is special as well.
    Amalia
    xo

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Amalia
      you're such a goodhearted Lady, my friend, blessed be!
      Sending much love to you ♡❤♡

      Elimina
  7. Very interesting. Mother's Day was very special this year as time spent with our son has been at a minimum for so long.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Janice
      I heartily thank you for your visit, you're far welcome!
      Alas, this pandemia has put so many limits in Italy too, we're still living such a 'strange' life...let's hope that everything can become to the normality we were used to.
      ⊰♥⊱ Sending hugs and more hugs to you ⊰♥⊱

      Elimina
  8. E' una festa bellissima che viene dal cuore, e se c'è di mezzo anche un dono sincero e parole di affetto e gratitudine, perchè no?allora la festa è più che bellissima! Anna Jarvis ha saputo dare voce ai meriti di ogni mamma, proprio per essere tale; mi dispiace che se ne sia pentita, io gliene sono grata
    Ti auguro una serena settimana
    Franca

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Franca
      mia carissima amica, anche io gliene sono grata, anzi, molto grata!
      E' una festa bellissima e colma di significati e lo è da quando, ancora piccolina, all'asilo, mi adoperavo per mettere insieme i primi bigliettini di auguri per la mia mamma...mi sentivo talmente importante!
      Allora era la festa più importante in assoluto!
      Ti invio un forte abbraccio con cui ti auguro tanta gioia e tutta la serenità che merita il tuo cuore ❀≼♥≽❀

      Elimina
  9. Interesting to know how Mothers day started. Hope all is well your side. Love Sujatha:)

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Sujatha
      sweetest friend of mine, I heartily thank you for your always beautiful words of appreciation which bless my heart!
      ♡❤♡ Sending love to you too ♡❤♡

      Elimina
  10. This is a very interesting history and lady. Education of women was basically stitching, running a household, perhaps painting or piano...up until then. We all should have gratitude to her for advancing women's education. Lovely post and informative. Sandi

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Sandi
      Julia Hard Howe and her daughter Anna Jarvis, were both women ahead of their times, that's out of doubt.
      I'm glad when I can find back in history, examples of open-minded women, which weren't afraid of criticism and able to fight for what they believed in.
      Thank you for your lovely words, darling.
      Sending love and hugs ⊰✽*♡*✽⊱

      Elimina
  11. Risposte
    1. Kathy
      it is I who thank you, dear friend, and I do it with all my heart!
      ஜ Blessings ஜ

      Elimina

I THANK YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND WORDS, SO PRECIOUS TO ME.