More than just a May Day

As The Eagle’s reporter abroad, there is literally a world of events upon which I could comment; some of which would be more or less difficult to relate to for our Wahkiakum County community. However, a few special days occurred during the month of May that we can understand on both sides of the Atlantic and they are more closely linked than you may have thought.

What do 8 billion world citizens have in common? Well, we all have mothers, and most countries have an official Mother’s Day, as do most months.

Argentina celebrates in October, and much of the Middle East does so in March; yet, the second Sunday in May is the most common date to celebrate. This is the day observed in the United States, Canada, Ukraine, and India, for example. There are many others; for France, it takes place at the end of May, which means my family and I celebrate twice.

Mother's Day in France has a unique history. It started in the late 19th century as an early effort to combat the low national birth rate. To encourage making babies and raising them as a duty to the country, mothers of large families were honored with an award for "High Maternal Merit" when they had nine kids or more.

During World War I, American soldiers on tour in France popularized the U.S. Mother's Day, leading to the creation of special postal cards. Inspired by the success, the large city of Lyon established a "National Day for Mothers of Large Families" in 1918, despite being still driven by population growth. The French government officially recognized the day in 1920 and even now, the “Médaille de l'enfance et des familles” - the medal for children and families - is awarded to mothers (or any legal caregiver) of four or more children. After the second world war, the holiday was enacted in law in 1950, officially paying homage to French mothers on the last Sunday in May.

As I became a mother myself, having learned a lot about world wars during my time in Europe, I realized that Mother’s Day coincides with two other days in May that incite remembrance and recognition. In Europe’s World War II allied countries, May 8 is Victory Day or “la Victoire” in France. This day celebrates Germany's surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, May 8, 1945.

During the last Monday in May, our American Memorial Day recognizes the soldiers who fell during that war and others. How fitting to mark the end of a war and motherhood in the same month.

While we may ask ourselves - between Memorial Day barbecues and giving birth - if these times are happy days or sad days, we can at least agree that every mother and the soldiers they give birth to deserve more than one day of recognition. Just as a reminder, June 6 is Remembrance Day, celebrating the 81st anniversary of D-Day (June 6, 1944), the beginning of the liberation of France and Western Europe and the start of the end of World War II.