In ancient Greece and Rome, festivals were held in honour of mother goddesses like Rhea and Cybele. Similarly, early Christians in Europe observed “Mothering Sunday” on the fourth Sunday of Lent, a day when people returned to their “mother church” and spent time with their families. Over time, it became a day to appreciate mothers with small gifts and gestures.

The modern version of Mother’s Day in the United States was largely pioneered by Anna Jarvis in the early 1900s. Inspired by her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis—who worked to promote public health and support mothers during the Civil War—Anna Jarvis campaigned for a national holiday to recognize mothers. Her efforts succeeded when, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

However, Jarvis later became disillusioned with the commercialisation of the holiday. She had envisioned Mother’s Day as a personal and heartfelt occasion, not a commercial enterprise dominated by greeting cards and flowers. She even fought against businesses that profited from it, believing they had distorted its true meaning.