From Goddesses to Greeting Cards: The Hidden History of Mother’s Day

By Zak L. Grace | AuthenticallyZ

Let’s talk about Mother’s Day. On the surface, it feels like a sweet, harmless day to honor the women who raised us—but when you peel back the layers, there’s more to the story. This post isn’t to shame anyone or make you feel guilty. It’s to uncover the truth and give you the knowledge to decide for yourself what aligns with your spirit and what doesn’t.

Let’s Take It Back: The Ancient Roots of Mother’s Day

Before the Hallmark cards and Sunday brunches, cultures around the world were already honoring “motherhood”—but not in the way we think. These celebrations were deeply spiritual and tied to goddess worship, fertility rituals, and seasonal festivals.

2000 BCE – Sumer (Ancient Mesopotamia)

Deity: Ninhursag (also called Ki or Ninmah) – the “Mother of All Living”
Seen as the goddess who birthed humanity. Early texts like the Enki and Ninhursag myth place her as one of the most powerful deities in Sumerian creation stories.
Reference: Sumerian Mythology by Samuel Noah Kramer

1500 BCE – Egypt

Deity: Isis – revered as the mother of Horus, a symbol of divine motherhood and resurrection.
Isis became one of the most worshipped figures throughout the Greco-Roman world.

1200 BCE – Canaanite Culture

Deity: Asherah – often referred to as the “Queen of Heaven.”
Yah repeatedly warned Israel about worshiping Asherah poles and groves.

They provoked Him to anger with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.– Psalm 78:58

700 BCE – Greece

Deity: Rhea, mother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades
Honored with spring festivals celebrating her as the “mother of the gods.”

200 BCE – Rome

Deity: Cybele – also known as Magna Mater, “Great Mother.”
Worship involved processions, music, wild dancing, and sometimes self-harm by priests to show devotion.
Festival: Hilaria, celebrated around March 25 (spring equinox)

Learn not the way of the heathen…– Jeremiah 10:2

Medieval Europe (1600s) – England

Transitioned into “Mothering Sunday,” a day to return to your “mother church.” Later, it became a day to honor actual mothers.

Early 1900s – United States

Anna Jarvis, whose mother was a peace activist, led the movement to make Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1914.
Ironically, Jarvis later fought to stop it because of how commercialized it became.

So What’s the big deal? It’s not about mothers being honored—it’s about where the tradition came from and what spirit is behind it.

Yah (God) is clear that we are to be set apart.

Take heed to yourself, that you be not snared by following them… and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.– Deuteronomy 12:30

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”– Exodus 20:3

I am YHWH: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”– Isaiah 42:8

When we participate in rituals—even unknowingly—that were designed to honor other deities, we risk inviting in spiritual confusion. This doesn’t mean you can’t love your mom or be honored as one. But we need to ask:

Where did this tradition come from?
Who started it—and why?
What spirit am I coming into agreement with when I participate?

Books You Can Study to Go Deeper

"The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop – breaks down how many modern traditions are rooted in ancient paganism. This book here!!!!
"Pagan Christianity?" by Frank Viola & George Barna – challenges traditions that have crept into churches.
"Sumerian Mythology" by Samuel Noah Kramer – foundational study of the earliest goddess systems.
The Bible (KJV) – read with spiritual discernment and an open mind; it's all there if you look closely.

This isn’t about being “deep” for the sake of it—it’s about returning to the truth. If we say we serve Yah, we can’t keep mixing what’s holy with what’s common.

We can still love our mothers. We can still show honor and gratitude. But let’s do it every day, not just on a date stamped by man, rooted in goddess worship. Let’s create our own days to uplift one another, led by the Ruach (Holy Spirit) and not tradition.