3,257
edits
Changes
→Modern Holiday
By 1910, West Virginia was the first state to recognize Mother's Day, with other states quickly following. Jarvis had begun to actively campaign to have the day remembered as Mother's Day. White carnations, Ann's favorite flower and used by Anna as the symbol of her mother, became associated with Mother's Day and the House of Representatives passed a proclamation in 1913 making it the official flower worn by government employees on the Monday after Mother's Day. By 1914, an act of Congress officially declared the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. As World War I was about to start, Mother's Day even became more poignant as a celebration of mothers who gave up their sons in times of war.<ref>For more on how Mother's Day became an official holiday, see: Garrigues, L., & Garrigues, L. (2008). <i>Writing motherhood</i>. New York: Scribner. </ref>
As the US holiday became established, some of its traditions began to influence other countries often older Mother's Day traditions. For instance, sending flowers and candy to one's mother was not a typical form of celebration in many countries but the US version of such gifts began to be adopted by others. In fact, traditions mixing local customs and celebrations of mothers intermixed with US-style celebrations. While Mother's Day often looks similar in many countries, the dates are often different because of this mixing of traditions.<ref> For more on the development of Mother's Day internationally, see: O’Reilly, A. (Ed.). (2010). <i>Encyclopedia of motherhood</i>. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, pg. 858.</ref>
[[File:Ann Jarvis.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. Ann Jarvis became the woman who inspired Mother's Day in the United States.]]