千般母爱母爱，一个温暖而又亲切的词语，母爱，点燃了我生命的烛光;照亮了我前进的道路，珍惜母爱，何之不为?

　　History of Mother′s Day

　　In the U.S. Mothers' Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. It is a day when children honor their mothers with cards， gifts， and flowers. First observance in Philadelphia， Pa. in 1907， it is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and by Anna Jarvis in 1907.

　　Although it wasn't celebrated in the U.S. until 1907， there were days honoring mothers even in the days of ancient Greece. In those days， however， it was Rhea， the Mother of the gods that was given honor.

　　Later， in the 1600's， in England there was an annual observance called "Mothering Sunday." It was celebrated during June， on the fourth Sunday. On Mothering Sunday， the servants， who generally lived with their employers， were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was traditional for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion.

　　In the U.S.， in 1907 Ana Jarvis， from Philadelphia， began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton， West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death， the 2nd Sunday of May. The next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

　　Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers， businessmen， and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful. President Woodrow Wilson， in 1914， made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

　　Many other countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year. Denmark， Finland， Italy， Turkey， Australia， and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May， as in the U.S.

　　母亲节的由来

　　母亲节是美国法定的全国性节日。在每年5月的第二个星期日举行。为母亲过节最早源于古希腊的民间风俗。那时，古希腊人每年春天都要为传说中的众神之母、人类母亲的象征--赛比亚举行盛大的庆祝活动。但这时还未形成母亲节。母亲节是由一位名叫贾维斯的妇女倡导，并由她的女儿安娜·贾维斯发起创立的。

　　贾维斯夫人是一个有着10个子女的母亲，是当时美国格拉夫顿城教会主日学校的总监。在美国以解放黑奴为目的的南北战争结束后，她在学校里负责讲述美国国殇纪念日的课程。贾维斯是一位心地善良，极富同情心的女人。她讲述着战争中那一个个为正义捐躯的英雄的故事，望着台下那一张张充满稚气的孩子们的脸，一个想法猛然涌上心头：为祖国贡献了这么多英勇战士，保证了战争胜利的，不就是那一个个含辛茹苦地抚育着子女的母亲们吗?

　　她们的儿子血染疆场，承受了最大的痛苦和牺牲的，不也是这些默默无闻的母亲吗?因此，她提出应该设立一个纪念日或母亲节，给这些平凡的女人一些慰藉，表达儿女们对母亲的孝思。可惜的是，这个良好的愿望还没有实现，贾维斯夫人便与世长辞了。她的女儿安娜·贾维斯目睹母亲抚养自己和兄弟姐妹成人的辛劳，深感母亲的提议是适合天理人心的。因此，她写出了几十封信，发给美国国会。地方州长和妇女组织等，提议创立母亲节。在她的一再呼吁下，这一提议得到了社会上的广泛响应和支持。

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