May 11, 2024 – Mother’s Day has a rich history that dates back to ancient times when Greeks and Romans held festivals to honor mother goddesses. However, the modern Mother’s Day as we know it originated in the early 20th century.

The official Mother’s Day holiday in the United States was first proposed by Anna Jarvis in 1905, as a way to honor her own mother who had passed away.

Her efforts led to the first Mother’s Day celebration in 1908, organized by her at a church in West Virginia. The holiday gained popularity quickly, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, a national holiday to honor mothers.

Since then, Mother’s Day has become a widely celebrated occasion around the world, with people expressing their love and appreciation for their mothers and mother figures through gifts, cards, and special gestures.

Mother’s Day is celebrated in various countries around the world, although the dates and traditions may differ. Among the many marking the celebration of mothers is the United States, Nigeria and United Kingdom (which had Mother’s Day in March), Canada, Australia, India, Mexico (marked Friday May 10), Brazil, Japan, South Africa and France (later this month May 26).  These are just a few examples, as Mother’s Day is observed in many other countries as well, each with its own customs and traditions for honoring mothers and motherhood.

In the Caribbean, Mother’s Day is also marked with vim and vigor and reverence.

When you talk about island nations like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas, among others, all observe Mother’s Day with celebrations that often include special church services, family gatherings, and the giving of gifts and cards to honor mothers and mother figures.

Traditional foods and music may also be part of the festivities staged in the neighbourhood or huge family groups will flock to their favourite dining spots for brunch.

It is not unusual to see Mother’s Day concerts, national awards ceremonies and luncheons making it a striking and joyous occasion for families eager to show appreciation for the important women in their lives.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

Citizens from Barbados, The Bahamas and Grenada have been granted access to Saudi Arabia’s electronic visa, now being able to apply for their visas online or acquire them upon arrival at Saudi Arabia entry points, according to reports. So far, there are only 66 countries with access to the E-Visa.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

Astrazeneca says it is withdrawing its vaccines from the market worldwide, effective as of May 7 as it was reported to cause side effects such as blood clots and low blood platelet counts. This was first reported by the Telegraph. The Withdrawal they say is also due to the availability of other updated vaccines.