International Mother's Day is a day of celebration of motherhood and thanksgiving to the mother, a celebration with ancient Greek references to the worship of the goddess Cybele, the mother of the gods, as Pindar addresses her («Cybele, Mother of the gods»).
In modern times, the American social activist Anna Maria Jarvis (1864–1948) was the first to come up with the idea of establishing a special day to honor mothers.
Her efforts were finally rewarded on May 9 in 1914, when then-U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation, establishing Mother’s Day as a national holiday on the second Sunday in May.
Since then, many countries, including Greece, have celebrated International Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May (May 12, 2024).
Jarvis chose the white carnation as the symbolic flower for Mother's Day because «its white color symbolizes the truth, purity, and compassion of a mother’s love; its fragrance, her memories and prayers.».
Despite the opposition of its inspirer, Mother's Day was quickly commercialized by the flower industry, which found a «godsend» opportunity to increase its sales...
