Sunday, May 8, 2011

WHITE FLOWERS FOR MOTHER’S DAY

 

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The tradition of gifting carnations on Mothers day began on the first official Mother's Day service on May 10, 1908. Miss Anna Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, in Grafton, West Virginia. The flowers were meant to be distributed amongst the mothers. Others present in the mass were also asked to wear flowers. White carnations were a favourite of Miss Anna Jarvis's mother, Mrs. Ann M. Jarvis. Miss Anna Jarvis explained the reason for her selection of flower,

"The white carnation is preferred because it may be thought to typify some of the virtues of motherhood; ... whiteness stands for purity; its lasting qualities, faithfulness; its fragrance, love; its wide field of growth, charity; its form, beauty..."

Miss Anna Jarvis continued with the tradition of sending carnations to the Andrews Church. She sent over 10,000 carnations in the subsequent years as a personal gift to the church on Mothers Day. This gradually lead to a custom of gifting carnations to mothers.

Today white flowers, especially carnations, are worn and gifted worldwide on Mothers Day and have become symbolic of purity, strength and endurance of motherhood. As a custom red carnations are worn to honour living mothers and white carnations for the deceased mothers.

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