The custom of celebrating mothers goes as far back as the 1600s when in England there was a holiday called Mothering Sunday, celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In America, the celebration of Mother’s Day was created in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe the woman who wrote the lyrics to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”; but the idea didn’t catch on widely until 1907. That year, Anna Jarvis began a campaign to establish Mother’s Day as an official holiday. By 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a national holiday.

Carnations are the most popular flowers for Mother’s Day. The custom of giving carnations to mothers began in 1907 and 1908 when churches across America gave carnations to mothers on Mother’s Day. The carnation is believed to represent sweetness, purity and endurance, all valued qualities of a good mother. The color of the carnation has significance on Mother’s Day. You wear a red carnation if your mother is still living or you wear a white carnation if you mother has died.

In Europe Mother’s Day is called Mothering Day. Native Americans honor mothers by describing women as “the life of the nation.” In India there is a ten-day festival known as Durga Puja honoring the “Divine Mother in October.

Explore some of Mother’s Day’s most popular flowers and their meanings.

Aster – Charming variety

Chrysanthemum (Red) – I love you

Daisy – Innocence and the sharing of sentiment; reciprocation of love

Stock- Lasting beauty

Myrtle – Love

Orchid – Refinement, luxurious beauty

Roses (Red & White together) – Warmth of heart

Snapdragons – Trust, hope, conviction

Tulips (Red) – A declaration of love

Lilly (White) – Sweetness

Zinnia (Magenta) – Thoughts of love for those not present

By: Diana Cochran

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This is a lucky time to give flowers because May is maybe the month when most flowers are in bloom and can be given as gifts. There is a wide variety of choices and many times what is given is either based on whatever everybody else gives, or on what are mom’s preferences.

The most common blooms that people give are roses and tulips and this is going on for generations already. These are blooms that are in everyone’s comfort zone and you just know that you can’t go wrong with them. However what if you want to be a bit different from the crowd, what if you want to surprise your wife or mom with something else than the usual, what would you go with then?

One of the other types of floral arrangements given for this occasion is a bouquet of carnations. However if she doesn’t like this particular type, here is one tip for you: find out in advance what are her favorite flowers and colors, and buy her that. Even if it goes against everything you’ve learned before that you should give to Mother’s Day, as long as you make her happy with them, you can give her anything. And the second tip is: never buy her only flowers.

They are a necessary and expected gift, but you should buy her an additional gift as well: a fruit basket or a fruit bouquet along with the blooms will make her really happy. Or something handmade that she will appreciate, either something carved, or a personalized greeting card, there are many things that you can give, without having to spend money on gifts. And believe me, moms prefer getting something that her child or husband made to a non-personal gift from the internet or local gift shop.

By: Zoltan Zongora

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