The tradition of gifting carnations to mothers on Mother' s Day was initiated by Miss Anna Jarvis and began on the first official Mother' s Day in America on May 10, 1908. Miss Anna Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, in Grafton, West Virginia. The flowers were meant to be distributed amongst the mothers. Others present in the mass were also asked to wear flowers. White carnations were a favourite of Anna' s deceased mother. Anna explained the reason for her selection of the flower.

　　“The white carnation is preferred because I think it typifies some of the virtues of motherhood; ... whiteness stands for purity; its lasting quality, faithfulness; its fragrance, love; its wide field of growth, charity; its form, beauty...”

　　Miss Anna Jarvis continued with the practice of sending carnations to the Andrews Church. She sent over 10,000 carnations in the subsequent years as a personal gift to the church on Mother' s Day. This gradually led to a custom of gifting carnations to mothers. Today carnations are worn or gifted worldwide on Mother' s Day and have become symbolic of purity, strength and endurance of motherhood. As a custom red carnations are worn to honor living mothers and white carnations for the deceased mothers.

　　芬芳美丽的康乃馨已成为母爱以及母亲节的象征，母亲节与康乃馨之间有着悠久的联系。根据基督教的一个传说，耶稣基督的母亲马利亚看到自己的儿子在十字架上受难时，流下了悲痛的眼泪，此时，康乃馨也绽放而出。

　　在母亲节给母亲送康乃馨的传统是安娜·贾维斯小姐开创的，始于1908年5月10日美国第一个正式的母亲节。那天，安娜给西弗吉尼亚格拉夫顿的安德鲁斯循道宗圣公会教堂送去500朵白色康乃馨。她打算将这些花分发给母亲们，后来也请在场做弥撒的其他人戴上了这种花。白色康乃馨是安娜已故的母亲最喜欢的花。安娜这样解释她为何选择这种花：

　　“选择白色康乃馨是因为我认为它象征着母亲的一些美德;……白色象征纯洁;持久象征忠贞;芳香象征爱;广袤的生长区域象征慈悲;花形象征美……”

　　此后，安娜·贾维斯小姐继续给安德鲁斯教堂送康乃馨。在后来的几年里，她给教堂送去了一万多朵康乃馨，作为她个人送给教堂的母亲节礼物。她的这一做法逐渐使人们形成了在母亲节给母亲送康乃馨的习俗。如今，全世界的人都在母亲节这天佩戴或赠送康乃馨，康乃馨已成为母亲纯洁、坚强和忍耐的象征。习惯上，人们佩戴红色康乃馨向健在的母亲表示敬意，佩戴白色康乃馨纪念已故的母亲。