In 1921, we had a local Mothers Day when the Ilocos Norte Womens Club petitioned for an annual Mothers Day commemoration. For some unexplained reason, the then-acting Governor-General Charles Yeater designated the first Monday of December as the Philippines Mother Day celebration. The celebration took place in schools with school children holding programs honoring their mothers. In 1980, President Ferdi-nand E. Marcos issued a proclamation declaring the first Sunday and first Monday of December of every year as Fathers Day and Mothers Day respectively.
What we will be celebrating tomorrow is the American Mothers Day which has an interesting tradition of its own. It began in 1907 when Ana Jarvish of Philadelphia convinced her mothers church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mothers Day on the second anniversary of her mothers death. Her campaign was so successful that by 1911, Mothers Day was celebrated almost throughout the United States. Then on May 8, 1914, US President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling on all government officials to display the US flag on all government buildings on the second Sunday of May as a public expression of love and reverence to all mothers in the country. For some reason, the celebration was not extended to the Philippines. The most interesting Mothers Day celebration we have seen was in Mexico. We dont recall the day, but it was celebrated for two consecutive days and it was a public celebration in the streets. The streets were filled with musicians who serenaded all mothers that passed by.
That we believe is what our Mothers Day celebration lacks. We should have a distinctly Filipino way of observing Mothers Day. It should not just be the children honoring their mother. It should be the whole community paying homage to all mothers. In short, a community fiesta for every mother. The starting point here will be every barangay. After the Mother country, the mothers of the country.