Phone Traffic on Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. However, celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

The modern Mother’s Day began in the United States, at the initiative of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century. It is not directly related to the many traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have existed throughout the world over thousands of years. First celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Her campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues.

Although Jarvis was successful in founding Mother’s Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies had started selling Mother’s Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother’s Day and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit. As a result, she organized boycotts of Mother’s Day, and threatened to issue lawsuits against the companies involved. Jarvis argued that people should appreciate and honor their mothers through handwritten letters expressing their love and gratitude, instead of buying gifts and pre-made cards. 

At times, Mother’s Day has also been a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968 Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children. In the 1970swomen’s groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.

Mother’s Day in most Arab countries is celebratedon 21 March. It was introduced in Egypt by journalist Mustafa Amin and was first celebrated in 1956. The practice has since been copied by other Arab countries.

Syria dedicated the 21st of March every year as a celebration to honor all mothers in the country. The country believes in the special role of motherhood in nation building and celebrates this special day as a way to give thanks to all mothers who secure the continuity of the Syrian race and allot time to thank mothers for the love and care they give to their children.

In Syria, it is traditional to have a great family feast every Mother’s Day and for children to give their mothers gifts, cards, and expressions of their affection and appreciation. Mothers are also givenbouquets of flowers. Besides, it is a tradition for kids to dance with their Mums and for people to visit their mothers on Mother’s Day. Those who cannot be there will make a Happy Mother’s Day Call to express their love over the phone.

There is a very interesting tradition where Syrianson both borders of the occupied Golan are permitted on 21 March by both sides’ armies to stand at the foot of “Shouting Hill” and shout out “Happy Mother’s Day” to their Moms who wait listening for the reverberating echo at the hill’s top.

While versions of Mother’s Day are celebratedworldwide, traditions vary depending on the country. In Thailand, for example, Mother’s Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen, Sirikit.

Another alternate observance of Mother’s Day can be found in Ethiopia, where families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of Antrosht, a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.

In the United States, Mother’s Day continues to be celebrated by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers, and it has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending. Families also celebrate by giving mothers a day off from activities like cooking or other household chores.

Of all the gifts, that life has to offer, a loving mother is the greatest of them all, because mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. No language can express the power, beauty and heroism of a mother’s love.

Report: Lama Alhassanieh