LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The coronavirus pandemic has again prompted cancellation of Mother's Day events in Los Angeles County or their switch to a virtual setting.
Vallarta Supermarkets will recognize Mother's Day by streaming a virtual serenade by the Grammy-winning group Mariachi Divas on their Facebook and Instagram pages, facebook.com/vallarta.supermarkets and instagram.com/vallarta.supermarkets, beginning at 9 a.m.
A Mother's Day Remembrance Day Service will be presented beginning at 9 a.m. on Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary's website, hillsidememorial.org/mothers-day.
A compilation of the best mariachi performances at The Ford, "Dia de las Madres," will be streamed at Facebook and YouTube beginning at 3:30 p.m. RSVPs can be made at facebook.com/events/462901411490684.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising anyone celebrating Mother's Day with someone elderly who hasn't been vaccinated to celebrate safely outdoors with masks and distancing or virtually.
The department is also advising the public to avoid large crowds and wear a mask when in businesses, stores and restaurants.
Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis said, "With the county's move into the yellow tier, the best way our residents can celebrate Mother's Day is by shopping local and supporting small businesses in their community."
In his Mother's Day proclamation, President Joe Biden wrote, "Through their unconditional love, mothers shape our lives and help us become the people we hope to be.
"We especially thank the mothers who have led us through the COVID-19 pandemic," Biden wrote. "From the earliest days of this crisis, so many mothers across our country have worked essential jobs, borne the brunt of our caregiving crisis, and selflessly provided support and comfort in a time of anxiety and fear."
Mother's Day was initially proposed in 1870 by activist-poet Julia Ward Howe as a call for peace and disarmament. It was celebrated in 18 cities in 1873, continued for about another 10 years in Boston under Howe's backing, then died out.
The second attempt to establish Mother's Day began on May 9, 1907, the second anniversary of the death of Anna Jarvis' mother, Ann.
Jarvis invited several friends to her home in Philadelphia in commemoration of her mother's life, which included providing nursing care and promoting better sanitation during the Civil War, helping save lives on both sides.
Jarvis announced to her friends her idea of a day of national celebration in honor of mothers, which was first celebrated on May 10, 1908, at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Ann Jarvis had worshipped.
The church is now known as the International Mother's Day Shrine.
West Virginia Gov. William E. Glasscock issued the first Mother's Day proclamation in 1910.
By 1911, it was celebrated in nearly every state. President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional joint resolution in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day nationally.