Anna Jarvis: The Woman behind the Mother's Day

While awarding a boy, someone said, “Please don’t forget the hen who laid the golden egg.”

Anna Jervis the name enhances curiosity of all.  This gritty woman campaigned relentlessly for the modern day mother’s day.  Interestingly, she was not a mother in her life time.  She would perceive the distress and worry of mothers though she was not a mother.  Her mother inspired her to campaign for a day specially dedicated to the mothers to highlight their plight and significant role in family in particular and the society in general.  Anna was born on the 1^st may 1864 in Webster, West Virginia. She was the ninth child of her mother Ann Merry and father Granvillo Jervis. 

In 1905, her mother died and from then onward she started her efforts to materialize the dream of her mother for a special day to reminisce and reward mothers of all over the world.  She had seen the bad and cruel treatment of children with their mothers.  In 1907 she threw herself in the benign effort to persuade people to observe national mother’s day.  Her fan and followers helped her in her campaign earnestly.  They would write hundreds of letters to the administrative officers to persuade the administration to observe such a day nationwide.  But all felt to deaf ears.  But good efforts never go fruitless.  And the relentless campaign bore fruit as many states and adjacent countries like Mexico started to celebrate such a holy day.  It was in 1914 the then president Woodrow Wilson sanctioned such a day to be observed on the Second Sunday of May.  And from then onward this day is being celebrated nationwide.  Thanks to the penetration of internet the concept has entered to other countries of the world.  And of late the day has acquired an international status. 

In later times, when the day was heavily commercialized, again Anna Jervis fought to free the day from the clutch of the commercial interests and people patronizing commercialization of the day.  And for this fight she was thrown to jail.  Irony indeed!! 

She died in November, 24 1984 at 84 years of age.  So on this auspicious day this blogger wishes all the mothers of world a Very Elated and Memorable Mother’s Day. 

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Thank you.