Later, during the 1600s, "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England. Servants would have the day off and were encouraged to spend the day with their mothers. A special "mothering cake" was often brought along.
In the United States, Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace.
In 1907, Ana Jarvis began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, W.Va., to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the second Sunday of May. By the next year, Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
By 1911, Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state.
In 1914, Mother's Day was proclaimed a national holiday.
Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
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