In the early 20th century, when Mother's Day first became a part of popular culture, white carnations were given as gifts, letters were written to give thanks and families would visit church together.

More than 100 years since Mother's Day was first celebrated in the US, the national holiday in which mothers, grandparents, step-parents and aunts are honoured for supporting children in their care, these traditional acts may have changed, yet the sentiment remains the same.

As founder Anna Jarvis' mother noted: "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life.

"She is entitled to it."

The story of how Mother's Day became a national celebration, one in which bouquets of flowers, greetings cards and chocolates have become synonymous with, may begin with the church in the UK, but it is actually an American woman we can thank for bringing the holiday to the mainstream.

Held on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday in the UK can be traced back to the 16th century.

It began as a Christian celebration for Catholics and Protestants, who would return to their 'mother' church for a service to celebrate Laetare Sunday.

People would visit the church in which they had been baptised, their local parish church or nearest cathedral, with servants later given the day off from duties to visit family together.

Children would pick flowers to adorn the church and to give as gifts to their mothers, perhaps where the tradition of bright bouquets given in modern times comes from.

Mothering Sunday soon fell away by the early 20th century, yet it's revival began in the US.

Anna Jarvis, from West Virginia, petitioned for a day in which to honour mothers in America, having been inspired by her own mother, the social activist Ann Reeves Jarvis, whom she cared for in the later years of her life until her death in 1905 when Anna was 41.

When she was younger, Anna's mother had inspired her to create the holiday, having said that a day should be set aside for mothers to rest.

The young Anna took this to heart, especially after her mother's death.

She held a memorial service for both her mother and other mothers some three years later on May 10, in a move towards establishing the holiday on the second Sunday in May.

For Anna, symbolism was important and she chose white carnations as a symbol of the holiday, sending hundreds of her mother's favourite flower to those who attended the service.

She had said: "[The carnation's] whiteness is to symbolise the truth, purity and broad-charity of mother love; its fragrance, her memory, and her prayers.

"The carnation does not drop its petals, but hugs them to its heart as it dies, and so, too, mothers hug their children to their hearts, their mother love never dying.

"When I selected this flower, I was remembering my mother's bed of white pinks."

In 1914, Mother's Day was made an official holiday by Congress, yet Anna soon became frustrated at the commercialisation of Mother's Day.

The white carnations she cherished would go up in price, card companies flourished and boxes of sweets became popular gifts which she felt detracted from the message of the holiday, so much so she attempted to rescind the day by holding a petition against it.

She was placed in Marshall Square Sanitarium in Pennsylvania, her bills were paid for by florists and greeting card companies, the very people she had come to detest.

She died in 1948.

Anna Jarvis' fight for a holiday which recognised the effort of mothers across the country succeeded, but it's success became her downfall.

However, her efforts were recognised across the world, with Constance Adalaide Smith so inspired by Jarvis, she began her own campaign to reinstate Mothering Sunday in the UK.

Smith lived in Nottingham and worked as a dispenser of medicines at the city's Hospital for Skin Diseases by the age of 23, having previously worked as a governess in Germany.

The daughter of an Anglican clergyman, Smith knew of Mothering Sunday, held on the fourth Sunday of Lent in the Liturgical calendar.

Having read an article in 1913 about Ms Jarvis and the subsequent calls for a Mother's Day to be established in the US, Ms Smith linked the celebration to the forgotten religious holiday of Mothering Sunday.

Smith published a booklet titled 'The revival of Mothering Sunday' in 1920 and her efforts helped to reestablish the Christian holiday.

However, it fell to American soldiers around 30 years later to bring Mother's Day as we know it today to Great Britain.

During WWII, servicemen were surprised when the second Sunday in May arrived and there was no Mother's Day traditions across the pond. Treating their hostesses like foster mothers, they treated them to gifts and flowers the way they would back home.

The practice of giving thanks to mothers caught on and by 1950, Mother's Day in the UK reverted back to its original date coinciding with Mothering Sunday.