Mother’s Day as we know it in Malta began in the United States when, during the American Civil War, homemaker Ann Jarvis started grouping women in an effort to improve general sanitary conditions for both sides of the conflict. Dubbing it “Mothers’ Work Days”, Jarvis’ project was instrumental to the start of reconciliation of the Union and Confederate neighbours.
After passing away in 1907, Jarvis’ daughter, Anna, successfully lobbied to found a memorial day for women, celebrating Mother’s Day for the first time officially on 10 May 1908 in West Virginia.
The custom spread like wildfire, eventually extending to 45 American states. In 1914, US president Woodrow Wilson declared the holiday national, inviting citizens to show the flag in honour of those mothers whose sons had died in the war.
By 1923, Mother’s Day had become so commercial that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of the holiday. Her crusade however proved less successful than her lobbying to found it, as nowadays statistics reveal that dining on Mother’s Day in the US alone, accounts for a $3.5 billion national expenditure.
It seems that Mother’s Day in Malta started making an appearance in the early 1970s. Following the American model, the event slowly worked its way up to a commercially-driven festivity, in which Maltese mothers are normally taken out dining and most often bought gifts.
As Vice-President of the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) Philip Fenech explains, nowadays, Mother’s Day in Malta has become “a very important day for local business, spread extensively throughout a large number of sectors. Dining out has remained very popular. And when it comes to giftware, products have increased enormously.
“Services have increased extensively, too. It is common to buy vouchers for health and beauty, weekend breaks or even holidays nowadays, whereas this did not happen too often in the past. Moreover, we are now talking of a celebration throughout generations, where parents will on hand receive gifts from their children and on the other purchase gifts for their own parents. Spouses have also started buying gifts for each other. Mother’s Day witnessed a growth that is not only consumerist but extensive as it now reaches a wide spectrum of different business sectors.”

Mothers yesterday

During a visit at the residence for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, residents were asked to recount how Mother’s Day developed throughout the years

Mary Fsadni, 78
My youngest son was growing up, he used to design greeting cards and hand them to me on Mother’s Day. I am a mother of three boys, who have all qualified as doctors. They’ve flown out of the country in the 1980s, so I don’t get to see them as much as I wish. When they happen to be in Malta on Mother’s Day they take me out for dinner, but that doesn’t happen every year. The nuns here organise a special day on Mother’s Day for us, they’re always very kind to us. Otherwise, when I was young we did not celebrate Mother’s Day. I don’t think it even existed. My youngest son is 44, and I think they started encouraging him to celebrate the day at St Aloysius’ College when he was about 13. I don’t remember my other two children, who are six and 10 years older, being encouraged to celebrate it at school.

Margaret Spiteri, 79
It never existed when we were children. At least, before 1959 for sure, because that is when my mother passed away. Soon after her demise, I had taken vows as a missionary nun and went abroad. I came back to Malta in 1970, and that is when I remember seeing some celebrations happening, but it was nothing grand back then, it wasn’t as popular as it is now.

Maria Gauci, 80
We did not celebrate Mother’s Day when we were young, but when I had children we started celebrating the event at home, nothing fussy. I have seven children in all. My eldest is 56 and my youngest is 42. We celebrate it now of course. This Sunday they’re going to take me out somewhere, as they always do on Mother’s Day. I also receive gifts on the day.

Saviour Sacco, 74
I never remember celebrating Mother’s Day as a child. We started celebrating it when my children were about 13 or 14. I have three children and they’re all married, the youngest is 44 and the eldest 47. This year I’m not celebrating Mother’s Day as my wife passed away last year and to be honest I’m still not over it.

Mothers Today

Strolling through the busy streets of Valletta, passers-by were stopped to ask how they were planning to celebrate today’s holiday

Michael Carbone, 24, runs a restaurant with his mother
I’ll probably stay home for Mother’s Day this year, since my mother will be abroad visiting her family, as she often does whenever she has time. Otherwise, we normally celebrate it, and of course, I always buy her a gift. This year I pooled in with my brother and we got her jewellery.

Stephen Vella, 22, baker
I don’t know what I’m doing on Mother’s Day this year. We don’t usually celebrate, and that’s because my mother is not really interested in the idea of Mother’s Day.

Antonia Sciberras, 66, retired
We’ll go out to dinner for sure on Sunday. My daughter just asked me what I wanted as a gift. I told her I didn’t want anything because there’s nothing I really need, so she’s getting me a voucher for a facial treatment.

Karl Sammut, 26, lawyer
I’m taking my mother out to dinner this year. Of course, I always get her a gift. This year I bought her gold jewellery.

Rosalie Bondin, 44, housewife
I’m leaving plans in my children’s hands. I prefer a surprise. They always bought me a gift on Mother’s Day, without fail. This year they bought me clothes, so I got my gift already. My children are very thoughtful, not only on Mother’s Day.

Anna Jones, 53, shop owner
I’m hoping for a surprise this Sunday. Last year they got me a bunch of flowers and chocolates, but I have no idea what they’re getting me this year.