On the afternoon of May 7, a day before Parents' Day, social workers at the Goyang Deokyang Haengsin Comprehensive Social Welfare Center pinned carnations to the lapels of older adults. The center plans to pin a carnation on every older visitor on Parents' Day, May 8, as a gesture of gratitude.
Parents' Day traces its origins to Mother's Day, which was designated on May 8, 1956. After calls to recognize fathers as well, the government revised the Regulations on Various Memorial Days in 1973 and renamed the holiday "Parents' Day." The custom of giving carnations on Parents' Day is believed to have originated in the United States.
Park Joo-hee, a social worker at the Goyang Deokyang Haengsin Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, said, "Giving carnations to the older adults who visit the center with warm smiles allows us to offer a small token of our appreciation." She added, "We have a range of activities and events planned for seniors on Parents' Day, May 8, and we hope many will attend."
