The first celebrations
in honor of mothers were held in the spring in ancient Greece. They paid
tribute to Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 17th century, England
honored mothers on "Mothering Sunday," celebrated on the fourth Sunday
of Lent.
In the United
States, Julia Ward Howe suggested the idea of Mother's Day in 1872. Howe,
who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, saw Mother's Day
as being dedicated to peace.
Anna Jarvis
of Philadelphia is credited with bringing about the official observance
of Mother's Day. Her campaign to establish such a holiday began as a remembrance
of her mother, who died in 1905 and who had, in the late 19th century,
tried to establish "Mother's Friendship Days" as a way to heal the scars
of the Civil War.
Two years
after her mother died, Jarvis held a ceremony in Grafton, W. Va., to honor
her. She was so moved by the proceedings that she began a massive campaign
to adopt a formal holiday honoring mothers. In 1910, West Virginia became
the first state to recognize Mother's Day. A year later, nearly every state
officially marked the day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially
proclaimed Mother's Day as a national holiday to be held on the second
Sunday of May.
But Jarvis'
accomplishment soon turned bitter for her. Enraged by the commercialization
of the holiday, she filed a lawsuit to stop a 1923 Mother's Day festival
and was even arrested for disturbing the peace at a war mothers' convention
where women sold white carnations -- Jarvis' symbol for mothers -- to raise
money. "This is not what I intended," Jarvis said. "I wanted it to be a
day of sentiment, not profit!"
When she
died in 1948, at age 84, Jarvis had become a woman of great ironies. Never
a mother herself, her maternal fortune dissipated by her efforts to stop
the commercialization of the holiday she had founded, Jarvis told a reporter
shortly before her death that she was sorry she had ever started Mother's
Day. She spoke these words in a nursing home where every Mother's Day her
room had been filled with cards from all over the world.
Today, because
and despite Jarvis' efforts, many celebrations of Mother's Days are held
throughout the world. Although they do not all fall at the same time, such
countries as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium also
celebrate Mother's Day on the same day as the United States.
By HOLLY
HILDEBRAND
Houston
Chronicle Interactive
Breakfast in bed for Mom's Day.
Serve with orange juice
and a great cup of Fresh Hazelnut coffee.
Easy Eggs Benedict
4 English muffins, split
Butter, softened
8 sl Canadian bacon, cooked
8 Poached eggs
ORANGE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
2 c Fresh orange juice
1 c Unsalted butter
1/2 ts Salt
Spread cut sides of muffins with butter. Broil
until lightly browned. Place a slice of Canadian bacon on each muffin half;
top with poached egg, and cover with Hollandaise Sauce. Serves 4. Orange
Hollandaise: Place the orange juice in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until it is thick and syrupy, 10-12 minutes.
You should have 1/4 cup syrup. Set it aside. In another saucepan, melt
the butter in a thin stream. Process a few more seconds, until thick. Serve
immediately. Makes 2 cups; serves 4."
Afternoon Tea and Crumpet
Crumpet
Ingredients
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking Instructions
Mix yeast with sugar, add water and let stand
about 5 minutes until foamy. Stir in milk, egg and 1 tablespoon butter.
Add flour and salt; mix until well blended. Cover with damp towel and let
stand in warm place about 45 minutes, or until almost doubled in volume.
Brush four 3-inch flan rings and bottom of heavy frying pan with remaining
melted butter. Heat over low flame and place 2 tablespoons of batter inside
each ring. Cook for 7 minutes, or until tops are dry and holes appear.
Remove rings and turn crumpets. Cook about 2 minutes, or until bottoms
are lightly browned. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with preserves
and Devenshire cream.
Yield: 7 dozen
Serve
with your favorite cup of tea.
The Perfect Cup of Tea
Pour hot water into a ceramic
teapot and let it sit until time to use.
Using cool, fresh tap water,
fill the kettle and bring it to a boil.
As the water in the kettle is
about to boil, empty the teapot, dry it and measure into it 1
teaspoonful of tea per cup plus
"one for the pot." Tea bags may be substituted if you prefer.
Just as the water has come to
a full, rolling boil, bring the "pot to the kettle" and place it next to
the
stove . If the water continues
to boil, it will become flat and decrease the flavor of the tea. So,
immediately pour water over the
tea leaves. Put a lid on the teapot, cover it with a tea cozy
and let steep for 5 minutes.
Stir once during the steeping process.
Using a strainer,pour tea into
cups and serve.
In England in the 1600s, an important part
of the "Mothering Day" celebrations that took place each May was the gifting
of "Mothering Day Cakes" to one's Mom
Bluemountain
Arts
Mom's
Day Fun at Kid's Domain
Billy
Bear's Happy Mother's Day
Sign
View
Feel
Free to E-mail this page to a Friend
Backgrounds by Tink all rights
reserved.
visit Tinks Free Graphic site
by clicking on logo below.
|
