Mother’s Day traces back to ancient festivals and later took shape in the U.S., before spreading worldwide as a family day of appreciation.
Explainer – This Sunday, families across Tonga and around the world will celebrate Mother’s Day — a day dedicated to honouring mothers and maternal figures for their love, sacrifice and care.. But where did Mother’s Day come from, and how did it become a global tradition?. The idea of celebrating motherhood dates back thousands of years.. Ancient Greeks and Romans held festivals honouring mother goddesses associated with fertility and family life.. In medieval United Kingdom,
Christians observed “Mothering Sunday”, when people returned to their “mother church” during Lent and spent time with their families.. However, the modern Mother’s Day celebrated today began in the United States in the early 1900s.. The woman behind modern Mother’s Day The modern observance was founded largely through the efforts of Anna Jarvis.. After her mother died in 1905, Jarvis campaigned for a national day to honour mothers and the sacrifices they made for their
children.. She organised the first official Mother’s Day service in 1908 in Grafton.. Her campaign quickly gained public support.. In 1914, then-US President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.. How it spread worldwide The tradition later spread to many countries, including New Zealand and Australia, which also celebrate it on the second Sunday in May.. Different countries observe Mother’s Day on different dates depending on their cultural and religious
traditions.. Today, Mother’s Day is commonly marked with church services, family gatherings, gifts, flowers and messages of appreciation.. In many Pacific cultures, including in Tonga, motherhood is closely tied to family unity, sacrifice and community values.. For many families, the day is not only about celebration, but also remembrance — especially for those whose mothers have passed away.. Ironically, Anna Jarvis herself later became critical of how commercialised Mother’s Day had become, arguing the day
should focus on sincere gratitude rather than expensive gifts.. Despite that, Mother’s Day remains one of the world’s most widely observed family occasions, celebrated across generations and cultures.