Many countries have different versions and origins of Mother’s Day. This article will focus on the Mother’s Day celebrated in North America.

Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of every May. It is celebrated to show honour to mothers and to show appreciation for what they do to help the family and society.

In schools, children will often make small crafts or cards and will bring them home in time for Mother’s Day to say thank you to their mother or significant female(s) in their lives.

ORIGIN: According to Wikipedia, Ann Jarvis, who was a social activist during the American Civil War (1861-1865), wanted to reunite families that had been divided during the Civil War. However, it was actually her daughter, Anna Jarvis, who was able to establish the celebration.

The first official US Mother’s Day celebration was held at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Verginia in 1908. On May 8, 1914, the US Congress passed a law declaring Mother’s Day an official day of observance.

Anna Jarvis did not want the celebration to become commercialized. According to The Vancouver Sun and Time Magazine, nine years after it was established she became a fierce opponent to the official holiday because of the disconnect between what she envisioned it to be and what it became. It seems Ann Jarvis, the government, the commercial industry, and Anna herself, all had different visions of what Mother’s Day should be. Anna spent all her inheritance and the rest of her life fighting the government and commercial system and finally died poor in a Pennsylvania mental institution.

While most don’t care about the origins of Mother’s Day and only see it as a chance to say “I love you” to their moms, some parents or children may decide not celebrate it because of its origins to social movements, religion, or commercialization. Instead, they might often make it a regular habit to show appreciation to their mother spontaneously, or from their heart, rather than on a fixed date every year.

Earth day happens every year on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The 2024 theme is “Planet vs. Plastics.” Especially in primary schools, teachers will adapt their lessons to incorporate support and awareness of Earth Day.

ORIGIN: Proposed by peace activist John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO conference, and started out as a political movement in America. An oil spill near Santa Barbara earlier in the year was one of the catalysts leading up to it, as well as general awareness of environmental pollution was on the rise. According to http://www.earthday.org, their organization is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement.