Prompt Cast
The History and Evolution of Mother's Day
TLDR Mother's Day has ancient roots in Mediterranean cultures and medieval Europe, but the modern version of the holiday can be attributed to three women who worked towards recognizing mothers and promoting peace. Anna Jarvis successfully campaigned for Mother's Day to be recognized as a holiday, but later became disillusioned with its commercialization. Today, Mother's Day is a lucrative holiday with billions of dollars being spent on gifts.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Mother's Day originated from ancient Mediterranean cultures and was influenced by goddesses such as Cybili and Magna Mater.
01:30
Mothering Sunday in medieval Europe served as a respite during Lent and was associated with going back to the Mother Church and Mary the Mother of Jesus.
02:36
The modern version of Mother's Day can be attributed to three women, including Ann Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe, who worked towards recognizing mothers and promoting peace.
03:40
The modern version of Mother's Day was created by Anna Jarvis in honor of her mother, and the first Mother's Day service was held in 1907 in Grafton, West Virginia.
04:43
In 1914, Mother's Day was officially declared a holiday by President Woodrow Wilson to honor mothers who had sons who died in the war, and the date of the holiday was chosen to be close to the anniversary of Ann Jarvis' death, with carnations being associated with the holiday because they were her favorite flower.
05:45
Anna Jarvis successfully campaigned for Mother's Day to be recognized as a holiday, but became disillusioned with its commercialization and spent the rest of her life fighting for credit and against its commercialization.
06:55
Mother's Day is still a lucrative holiday, with an estimated $28 billion being spent on it in 2021, primarily on gifts like flowers, jewelry, restaurant visits, greeting cards, and spa treatments.
