Mother's Day in its modern form was created by Anna Maria Jarvis in the United States. She founded the holiday to honor her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who had expressed a desire for a memorial day recognizing the work and sacrifices of mothers. After her mother's death in 1905, Anna Jarvis began a campaign to establish Mother's Day as a recognized holiday. The first official Mother's Day celebration was held by Jarvis on May 10, 1908, with a church service in Philadelphia and the distribution of white carnations as a symbol of the day

. Anna Jarvis's efforts led to widespread observance of Mother's Day across U.S. states by 1911, and in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day, making it a national holiday

. Despite founding the holiday, Jarvis later became disillusioned with its commercialization by businesses and spent much of her later life trying to have the holiday rescinded

. In summary, Anna Jarvis is credited with creating Mother's Day as a formal holiday in the early 20th century in the U.S., inspired by her mother's wish to honor mothers' contributions