Why is Mother's Day celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of May?

In the Philippines, Mother's Day always falls on the second Sunday of May, and this year, it's going to be this Sunday already, May 10.

It seems we follow US traditions when it comes to Mother's day because according to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, Mother's Day the way we know it, was established by Anna Jarvis, who wanted to honor her mother, Ann Jarvis, who died on the second Sunday of May in 1905.

After the elder Jarvis endured the death of most of her dozen children from diseases, she "worked hard in her community to try to help other mothers and families avoid the tragedies she had suffered," the museum continued.

She organized things like work clubs for mothers and promoted occasions like "Mother's Work Days," during which women would come together to collect trash "and undertake other projects to improve local environmental conditions and their neighbors' understanding of hygiene."

According to Britannica meanwhile, a 12-year-old Anna saw her mom praying "that someone, sometime will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life."

Anna never forgot it.

"On May 10, 1908, a Mother's Day service was held at Jarvis's late mother's church," Britannica said, and four years later, in 1912," many other churches, towns and states were holding their own Mother's Day celebrations," History.com said.

In fact, Jarvis had established the Mother's Day International Association by then.

It was in 1914, when then-US President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation of the first national Mother's Day.

Anna's idea for Mother's Day was a personal one, where children would honor their own mother. "She chose white carnations as an emblem and urged people to write heartfelt letters of gratitude to their mothers," Smithsonian said.

Soon however Mother's Day became a huge commercial holiday with florists, restaurants and greeting card companies making lots of money from it.

So disillusioned was Anna that she started campaigning against those who profited from Mother's Day, History.com said.

She launched many campaigns and petitions and in 1925, even crashed a convention and was arrested for it.

According to Smithsonian, Anna tried to recall the holiday she fought so hard for in 1943 but by then Mother's Day has become so ingrained in the culture.

"Five years later, she died penniless in a sanitarium where her bills were paid by the same greeting card companies and florists she despised," Smithsonian said.

Adds History.com, "Jarvis died in 1948 in Philadelphia's Marshall Square Sanitarium."

But that's just Mother's Day tradition in the US, which the Philippines follows.

Around the world, Mother's Day is celebrated in other ways and in other dates. In the UK, for instance, what they call "Mothering Sunday" takes place on the fourth Sunday of Lent, or three weeks before Lent. And in Thailand, Mother's Day is celebrated every August 12, on the birthday of Queen Sirikit.

How interesting, right? Now, do you have plans on how to honor your mom yet this Sunday? Here are some ideas for you. — LA, GMA News