What are some of the types of gifts you like to shower your mom with on this special day? What are some things you have personally crafted or wrote to show your mom how much you appreciate her? While thinking about this very special day, I became curious about the history of this particular holiday and how it began. So I did a little research.

History:

Mother’s Day was officially declared a holiday in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson, but it is Anna Jarvis who is responsible for founding Mother’s Day. However, she was not the first to have the idea. Julia Ward Howe worked on promoting a Mothers’ Peace Day in 1872. This was in response to the American Civil War and Europe’s Franco-Prussian War. Julia Ward Howe, Anna Jarvis’s mother and other antiwar activists were looking to promote unity and peace.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis never married or had any children. She was said to be the” Mother of Mother’s Day.” She spent her life and her resources protecting her holiday. She never profited or endorsed fundraising off the holiday, and did not approve of commercializing the holiday either.

Another interesting piece of information I found was that originally, the white carnation was the flower of Mother’s Day. It was the favorite flower of Anna Jarvis’s mother. In an interview conducted in 1927, Anna Jarvis explained, “The carnation does not drop its petals, but hugs them to its heart as it dies, and so, too, mothers hug their children to their hearts, their mother’s love never dying”.

What a sweet sentiment! I think people will think twice now about the humble carnation! It definitely is such a sweet flower. The imagery that she describes of the carnation clinging to its petal and likening it to a mother’s love is etched in my brain forever now!!

The Project:

In true Anna Jarvis fashion, Jolene, our Ninja Photographer Boss graciously created a non profit event, “Mommy and Me Portraits!” It started out as a gift for Mother’s Day and a passion for beautiful Japanese Kimono and Yukata! It soon evolved into something more! An event with Mother and daughter honoring their heritage and marking that day with gorgeous photography!

On a side note: Did you know that Jolene is an award winning photographer for “Best Portrait Photographers” in Honolulu, Hawaii?! This project was right up her alley and something that she is so passionate about. It truly shows in her work and I cannot wait to see all the photos!!

Anyway, living in Hawaii, we are in the melting pot of the Pacific and many of us have strong Asian roots. In conjunction with Asian Heritage Month it seemed liked the perfect way to combine everything together while creating fun photos and beautiful memories to last a lifetime. Years from now our Moms and daughters will be able to look back on these photos and reminisce about the experience together! Portraits are a great way to preserve memories, show growth, not to mention this will be a gift for mothers and the grandmothers that I believe Anna Jarvis herself would be incredibly proud of! I am extremely proud and honored to be a part of this wonderful creative project! I hope you are inspired by this blog and plan to reserve a portrait session of your own! Happy Mother’s Day!