Get ready to shower your mother with love on Sunday May, 12, 2013.
Often celebrated with brunch, greeting cards and flowers, Mother's Day in North America is traditionally meant to give moms the day they deserves — although we would argue every day is Mother's Day.
This day also happens to be Canada's third largest greeting card holiday (following Valentine's Day and Christmas) with over nine million cards expected to be sold this year, according to Hallmark Canada.
But the history of Mother's Day is actually a little darker than most people know. Originally, this day was a time for women to mourn fallen soldiers, according to The National Geographic. In the 1850s, an American woman by the name of Ann Reeves Jarvis held "Mother's Day" to help raise awareness of low infant mortality and disease in West Virginia. The group also helped wounded soldiers during the U.S. Civil War.
But it was Jarvis's daughter, Anna, who began to celebrate what we know today as Mother's Day, after her mother's death at the age of 41. On the second Sunday of May 1908, Anna made plans to honour moms everywhere.
Even though all Canadian provinces and territories celebrate Mother's Day on the same day, the United Kingdom, for example, celebrates its version on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
This year, if you want to avoid long lineups and packed restaurants for brunch, try hosting your own Mother's Day lunch at home. We're sure your mother would appreciate the gesture either way.
Also: The best table setting ideas for mother day:
