(PCM) The celebration of Mothers Day will have it’s 100 year anniversary this year, as the very first observance of Mothers Day as a national holiday was declared by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.
The holiday itself was invented by a woman named Anna Jarvis in 1905 after her mother passed away. Jarvis called the holiday Mother’s Day and please note the apostrophe. She wanted it to be a day that each person would honor their own mother and it would be a private family occasion.
Jarvis was less than thrilled about how commercial the holiday became once it was declared a national holiday by President Wilson. Jarvis even went as far as to dedicate herself and her inheritance to returning Mother’s Day to its’ original roots. She organized boycotts, threatened lawsuits, and even attacked First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using Mother’s Day to raise funds for charities. Jarvis gave everything she had to the fight to reclaim Mother’s Day, however she sadly ended up dying penniless and broken in a sanitarium in Philadelphia, PA.
Many also trace the origin of Mother’s Day to a movement begun in 1904 by the Fraternal Order Of Eagles which would prove to be the first of the organization’s many history-making accomplishments. To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Mothers Day the Fraternal Order Of Eagles commissioned a poll to list the most admired mothers in the United States. First Lady Michelle Obama made the top of the list followed by Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Kate Dutchess of Cambridge and Nancy Reagan.
According to National Geographic, Americans will spend an average of $162.94 on mom this year, down from a survey high of $168.94 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $19.9 billion. The U.S. National Restaurant Association reports that Mother’s Day is the year’s most popular holiday for dining out.
