is all the wine you have to drink
Mother’s Day in the United States is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Its origins are loosely inspired by the British version of the day but took a unique path in America, thanks in part to social activist Julia Ward Howe. After the Civil War, Howe envisioned Mother’s Day as a rallying point for peace, urging women to unite against war. In 1870, she penned the Mother’s Day Proclamation, calling for disarmament and harmony.
Although Howe’s efforts to establish a formal Mother’s Day for Peace didn’t succeed, her vision was shaped by another pioneering woman: Ann Jarvis. In 1858, Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker, organized “Mothers’ Work Days” to promote better sanitation in her community. During the Civil War, she mobilized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and in 1868, she led efforts to reconcile former Union and Confederate neighbors.
When Ann Jarvis passed away in 1907, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, took up the cause with a new mission — to create a national day honoring mothers. The first official celebration was held on May 10, 1908, in Grafton, West Virginia, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, where the elder Jarvis had once taught Sunday school. That church is now recognized as the International Mother’s Day Shrine, a National Historic Landmark. The idea quickly spread, and by 1912, several states had adopted the holiday. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national observance, encouraging citizens to fly the flag in honor of mothers whose sons had died in war.
Ironically, just nine years later, Anna Jarvis herself became one of the holiday’s fiercest critics as it became increasingly commercialized. Despite her protests, Mother’s Day evolved into one of the most commercially successful holidays in the U.S. Today, it’s not only a time for cards, flowers, and gifts — according to the National Restaurant Association, it’s also the most popular day of the year to dine out in America.
So, here’s to Mother’s Day: one of the few major holidays where daytime drinking is not only accepted but practically encouraged. Cheers!
(Pssst, if you didn’t get your mom a great gift, just remind her that you will be the one arranging for her nursing home stay.)
The Haus of Dcaligari 