THE MOTHER’S DAY STORY

Mother’s Day is celebrated by many countries on the second Sunday of May. It’s origins may be traced back to spring celebrations in ancient Greece which were held to honor the Mother of the Gods, Rhea. The introduction and spread of Christianity throughout Europe eventually led to a change in focus, where the Mother Church was honored instead of pagan gods or goddesses.

In the 1600s, mothers in England were remembered on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the forty-day period leading up to Easter. This day became known as Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday was so revered that the servants of the wealthy were actually given that day off to spend with their mothers. Such family reunions were often celebrated with a special cake called the Mothering Cake.

It was in 1872 that a special Mother’s Day was suggested by the lyricist of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe. She envisaged it as a day dedicated to peace. Mother’s Day meetings were organized annually by her in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ana Jarvis from Philadelphia is credited with crusading to have Mother’s Day recognized at the national level. In 1907, she persuaded her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia, to honor mothers on the second Sunday of May, which was the second anniversary of her mother’s death. By the following year, Philadelphia was also celebrating Mother’s Day.

Ms Jarvis and her supporters besieged politicians, ministers and businessmen as they continued their campaign to establish a national Mother’s Day. Thanks to their efforts, Mother’s Day was marked in almost every state in the USA by 1911. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

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A mother and grandmother herself, Edna Hibel’s favorite artistic theme is family. She is particularly famous for her heartwarming depictions of the mother daughter and mother son relationship. In typical Hibel style, mothers and children in her artwork glow with love and radiate inner peace.

Precious moments are tenderly captured in Edna Hibel’s mother and child art and collectibles - precious moments to treasure forever.