On International Women’s Day, Tina Baxter gives us the lowdown on the history of our celebration of honouring the mother of the family, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. Tina will be running a special edition of her City Gardens Tour on March 31^st and, as it is Mother’s Day, mothers go free! You can find the booking link for the tour here.

Pagans and Christians worshipped and celebrated mothers for thousands of years. In Europe it was a date of note on the religious calendar, the fourth Sunday in Lent, when the faithful would return to the ‘mother church’ – their home church. Over time as traditions changed it became a secular holiday and families would give tokens and gifts to show their appreciation.

This special day was almost forgotten until the resurgence in America, of what simply began as a welfare club for women, became a strong anti-war movement during the American Civil War, and was the first step to the Mother’s Day we celebrate today.  A brief history below: –

Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children.

1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

1870 Abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace.

1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2.

1905 Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honouring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.

In May 1908 Anna Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia.

Anna Jarvis resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. She started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honouring motherhood.

1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause.

1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

1920s Anna Jarvis had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized.

By the time of her death in 1948 Anna Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar.

The original symbol of giving on Mother’s Day was to wear a white carnation in your button hole and go to church. We are offering no button holes, but we can offer gardens (without carnations) and a church or two, there are plenty of both in the City of London.

There is a rich history to explore, ancient and modern, exceptional landscaping and clean air gardens in unlikely places. After a pleasant walk you may like to take Mother to a local watering hole or for a slap-up tea. Remember for this walk Mother’s go free!