On May 8, the United States of America and some nations across the globe will be celebrating Mother's Day 2016. The holiday, which falls on the second Sunday of May every year, will honor mothers and mother figures for their valuable contributions to society.
We can already anticipate that Mother's Day 2016, just like its versions in the past years, would be a happy holiday wherein moms are pampered, treated or showered with gifts. But do you know that the history of Mother's Day has been tainted with struggles, controversies and conflicts? Here are five surprising facts you don't know about the dark past of Mother's Day 2016.
1. Mother's Day 2016 originated from an era where mothers' rights were not taken seriously.
The first Mother's Day was celebrated on May 8, 1908 through the initiatives of American social activist Anna Jarvis, the renowned "Mother of Mother's Day." It was only in 1914 that President Woodrow Wilson made the holiday official in the U.S. But before its declaration as a legit holiday, Anna Jarvis fought so hard to be heard in a male-dominated society.
2. Mother's Day 2016 started as an anti-war movement. Mother's Day has been credited to Anna Jarvis, however, the idea of allotting such day did not come from her. Julia Ward Howe and other peace advocates initiated a Mothers' Peace Day in 1872 as a movement that promotes global unity to rise above the horrifying aftermath of the American Civil War and Europe's Franco-Prussian War.
3. The "Mother of Mother's Day" fought hard against the holiday's commercialization. After Mother's Day was declared official, it started to become commercialized. Some charitable groups seized the holiday as an opportunity to raise funds for various causes. Anna Jarvis was totally against it because she wanted the holiday "to be a day of sentiment, not profit." She also hated the idea of selling flowers and giving greetings cards. She even organized boycotts for the holiday and filed cases against groups and companies that commercialized Mother's Day.
4. Anna Jarvis claimed she owned Mother's Day. Anna Jarvis has filed various lawsuits claiming that Mother's Day is her intellectual and legal property. In some press releases, she threatened to file cases against businesses, organizations, hospitals, charities and institutions that would try to commercialized Mother's Day.
5. The "Mother of Mother's Day" lost everything in fight against the holiday's commercialization. Anna Jarvis died broke at the age of 84. Her health deteriorated and her emotional stability was questioned. She spent most of her fortune on legal battles against the holiday's commercialization.
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