In the U.S. Mothers' Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. It is a day when children honor their mothers with cards, gifts, and flowers. First observance in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1907, it is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and by Anna Jarvis in 1907.
Although it wasn't celebrated in the U.S. until 1907, there were days honoring mothers even in the days of ancient Greece. In those days, however, it was Rhea, the Mother of the gods that was given honor.
Later, in the 1600's, in England there was an annual observance called "Mothering Sunday." It was celebrated during June, on the fourth Sunday. On Mothering Sunday, the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was traditional for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion.
In the U.S., in 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. The next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
Many other countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, as in the U.S.
在美國,人們在五月的第二個星期天慶祝母親節。在這一天，孩子們把卡片，禮物和鮮花獻給他們的母親。第一次慶祝母親節是發生在1907 年的費城，是由朱莉婭·瓦德·豪和安妮塔·賈威斯分別在 1872 年和 1907 年提議設立的。
雖然美國直到 1907 年才慶祝母親節，但是尊敬母親的節日甚至可以追溯到古希臘。盡管那時人們是慶祝上帝的母親羅伊的。
后來, 在17世紀初的英格蘭，人們有一個慣例，就是在每年六月的第四個星期天慶祝"省親節"。在省親節那一天, 通常與雇主住在一起的仆人了, 被勸說回家和他們的母親團聚。按照慣例，他們要帶一塊特殊的蛋糕回家慶祝。
在美國, 1907年有一個來自費城的叫阿納·賈維斯的人，發起了一場建立全國的母親節的運動。在西弗吉尼亞的格拉夫頓，賈維斯說服了她母親的教堂，在她母親去世2周年的紀念日那一天慶祝母親節，即五月的第二個星期天。下一年費城也慶祝了母親節。
賈維斯和其它人開始給部長，商人，以及政治家們寫信，要求建立全國性的母親節。他們取得了成功。1914年在任的伍德羅·威爾森總統，向全國發布官方通告，宣布在每年五月的第二個星期天慶祝母親節，并使之成為一種傳統。
世界上許多其它國家在全年的不同時間慶祝他們自己的母親節。丹麥，芬蘭，意大利，土耳其，澳大利亞，以及比利時同美國一樣，在五月的第二個星期天慶祝母親節。
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