Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day celebration has gained prominence in over 46 countries worldwide. The day provides an opportune time to honor the billions of mothers around the world.

We pay tribute to these brave women who sometimes imperil their own safety to shield us from harm, and who instill in us the values by which we live, and help shape our views of the world and attitude toward life. Many of them have had to sacrifice their careers and set aside their personal ambitions
in order to be hands-on moms and nurture us from childhood to adolescence.

In the Philippines, mothers, who are referred to as the “ilaw ng tahanan” (light of the home), continue to have significant influence and share their wisdom even when their children have become adults.

The earliest celebration of Mother’s Day can be traced back to the annual spring festival that the Greeks held in honor of Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the offerings that ancient Romans made to Cybele, their Great Mother of Gods. Ceremonies in honor of Cybele began some 250 years before Christ was born. The celebration made on the Ides of March by making offerings in the temple of Cybele lasted three days and included parades, games, and masquerades.

The roots of the modern-day celebration can be traced in the United Kingdom where a Mothering Sunday was celebrated long before Mother’s Day was celebrated in the United States.

Mother’s Day started in 1905, when Anna Jarvis lobbied the government officials of the period to designate a day to honor the life work of all mothers. It was not until May 8, 1914, that her efforts paid off. President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day, a tradition that has been carried on to this day.

A mother’s love for her children is unrivalled.

Many of our great men and women have figured in our history because of the values that they imbibed and attitudes they developed through the constant guidance and nurturing of their mothers.

And so as we mark the special day for mothers this year, let us give them a break from their daily household chores. We can give them a bouquet of their favorite flowers, treat them to a good movie, or gift them with a nice book. However way we decide to honor our mothers today, let us not forget to thank them for the gift of their time, sacrifice, and the wisdom they so willingly share with us, and make them feel special the whole year round.

There is no greater love than a mother’s love.

Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms all over the world!