<p> The majority of countries that celebrate Mother's Day do so on the second Sunday of May.  May of 1908 was the first Mother's Day Observance as we know it today. On this day, it is common for Mothers to be lavished with presents and special attention from their families, friends and loved ones. But it hasn't always been this way. Only recently dubbed "Mother's Day", the highly traditional practice of honoring of Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites typically had strong symbolic and spiritual overtones, societies tended to celebrate Goddesses and symbols rather than actual Mothers. In fact, the personal, human touch to Mother's Day is a relatively new phenomenon. When the first English settlers came to America, they discontinued the tradition of Mothering Day. While the British holiday would live on, the American Mother's Day would be invented with an entirely new history centuries later. One explanation for the settlers' discontinuation of Mothering Day was that they just didn't have time; they lived under harsh conditions and were forced to work long hours in order to survive. Another possibility, however, is that Mothering Day conflicted with their Puritan ideals. Fleeing England to practice a more conservative Christianity without being persecuted.  </p> <p> Symbol: White Carnation </p>