The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

International Mother's Day will be observed across the country today elsewhere in the world, honouring mothers with giving gifts and greetings.

The International Mother's Day has been celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year for the last few years.

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honour of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent, "Mothering Sunday" honoured the mothers of England.

In the United States, the Mother's Day was started in 1872 by peace activist Julia Ward Howe, who was horrified by the carnage and suffering of the Civil War and wrote a proclamation calling on women to unite and oppose war.

However, more than 40 countries, including Bangladesh, observe the day following American culture that originated from the thought that Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis, was the power behind the official establishment of Mother's Day in 1905.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honour of those mothers whose sons had died in war.

The day is celebrated in Bangladesh through different programmes in electronic media and according grand reception to mothers of jewels recognizing their contribution to family, society and nation. Restaurants and shopping malls give special offers on the occasion.