Why Is Mother's Day On A Sunday?

Mother's Day — the one day of the year that's supposed to be all about the family's matriarch. Though the holiday's history has been well documented, it still raises a number of questions. One of the more common ones being, "why is Mother's Day on a Sunday?"

The celebrations of moms have dated back to ancient days. History.com explained that the clearest modern start to Mother's Day began with an early Christian festival that was called Mothering Sunday. The site further noted that the celebration stuck around and was observed in Europe on the fourth Sunday in Lent where the faithful would return to their "mother church."

Of course, this is what happens across the pond. Mother's Day has a different history in American. According to National Geographic, former President Woodrow Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in 1914 following the efforts of Anna Jarvis who wanted to honor her late mother and have other children celebrate their mothers too. It's amazing to think that the day filled with mounds of bright flowers, handmade cards, and affectionate kids began more than 100 years ago.

However, while Jarvis fought tirelessly for the holiday to be recognized, she then diligently fought against the heavy commercialization of the holiday once it took off. According to Family Search, Jarvis honored mothers with a single white carnation, not with an abundance of gifts on Mother's Day. So this Mother's Day, try to remember its history and, more importantly, try to encourage your kids or honor the other incredible women in your life with something meaningful.

It's time to strip away what takes away from the meaning behind Mother's Day's, and recognize what makes it so unique. After all, super moms deserve an extra special day every year. Although let's be honest, they deserve it the other 364 days in the year too.