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Celebration Mother’s Day The date may vary by country, but there are few places in the world that do not commemorate it.

In the Americas it is usually celebrated in May – on the second Sunday of the month – but other countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador celebrate it a few days earlier.

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Ever since, this traditional date has become one of the most important events of the year for business, especially the sale of cards, flowers, chocolates, restaurants and other items for mom.

Children, grandchildren, siblings and many spouses They keep that day in mindBut few know how the custom of commemorating motherly love on a particular date came about.

Campaign in memory of a mother

This tradition comes from the Greeks, who honored Rhea, the mother of all gods, with rituals and gifts at the beginning of spring.

But the formalization of this custom began in the 20th century AmericaAt the insistence of a woman who is not a mother, but He decided to honor him.

In 1905, Anna Jarvis started the so-called “Mother’s Day” campaign when her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died.

Three years later, he arranged to pay tribute to her, even though the date was not an official holiday.

Their struggle to get that day accepted lasted for years. Jarvis’ motivation came from a prayer his mother showed him one day.

“I hope and pray that one day, someone will recognize a Mother’s Day to celebrate their unparalleled service to humanity in all walks of life,” it said.

Inspiration also came from Ann Reeves’ work during the American Civil War.

In 1850, in the state of West Virginia, Formed a sort of task force consisting of women to look after the soldiers and promote public health. She called those working days “Mother’s Day”.

Anna Jarvis began her campaign to save Mother’s Day by sending letters to members of Congress, governors, celebrities and dignitaries every year.

Some politicians mocked their efforts, saying that if they made Mother’s Day official, they would have to establish a “mother-in-law’s day” as well.

However, by 1911, all states of the Union recognized the holiday, and three years later, it was officially accepted that the second Sunday in May would be commemorated with a holiday in honor of mothers.

Jarvis’ wish was granted, and she could finally be proud to be the “Mom” of Mother’s Day.

However, after a while, He realized he had “created a monster”..

The commemorative date became a great excuse for businessmen who took the opportunity to stimulate the purchase of gifts.

Business Business

The date became the main theme of advertising campaigns at the beginning of every May and gained a lot of support in the flower and card industry.

The story that gave birth to Mother’s Day — a struggle to honor Jarvis’ own mother and the work of other women — A perfect script to further increase sales.

The elder in charge of the memorial date did not like the accepted business course, so she decided to ignore the date.

An activist who once campaigned for the creation of the date is now mobilizing to abolish it.

“Mother’s Day was considered by Jarvis to be her ‘intellectual and legal property,’ not part of the public domain,” wrote Catherine Lane Antolini, author of “Motherhood Memory: Anna Jarvis and the Struggle to Control Mother’s Day.” “Mother’s”.

“She wanted that day to be a ‘holy day.’ To remember the mother who put her children’s needs before herself”, Antolini added.

“He never wanted it to become a day for giving expensive gifts, like other holidays in the early 20th century.”

Antolini, a professor of gender studies at a university in West Virginia, lives about 45 minutes from Grafton, the church Jarvis and her mother attended, now the International Mother’s Day Shrine.

According to Antolini’s investigations, Anna Jarvis called out businessmen who “took advantage” of the event. “Copyright infringers, commercial destroyers and outright profiteers”.

He went as far as staging protests against florists in May, raising their prices and threatening to sue several companies that profited from the celebration.

He also criticized the huge word-print card industry that emerged in the day, arguing that there should be a way to appreciate and honor mothers through personal handwritten letters.

Antolini writes that in the 20th century there were institutions that tried to align the meaning of the holiday with the changing concept of motherhood, linking the domestic aspect to the impact of mothers on society.

But Jarvis also refused to accept that explanation.

Before his death in 1948, overwhelmed by debt and depression, Jarvis admitted to a journalist: “I’m so sorry for creating Mother’s Day”.

How Much Money Does Mother’s Day Make?

As with many aspects of business, the United States leads the way in terms of consumption of goods and services around Mother’s Day.

Other countries of the world are not only following the pattern of celebrating this holiday, but are also strongly incorporating economic attributes.

Mother’s Day trading only in the US representing more than US$23 billion.

According to specialized sites, articles and services are not only sent from babies to mothers on this date. Consumers buy from all the women in their lives; Daughters, sisters, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and other relatives and friends.

The card business is where there is a lot of movementIt’s followed by the best-selling flowers of the year for that date (even more than Valentine’s Day).

This is followed by specialty outlets such as restaurants, and then the apparel and jewelry industries.

Both advertising and sales begin in the last two weeks of April and intensify for 48 hours a day in the week preceding the Sunday in question.

That’s when 18% of consumers decide to buy at a higher price.

As the campaigns say, a mother’s love is priceless.