"There Is a Reason Why May Feels More Special"... Since When Has May Been Family Month? [News Seolcham]

May, Filled with Children's Day, Parents' Day, and Married Couples' Day
The Origin of Family Month

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May, which includes Children's Day, Parents' Day, Married Couples' Day, and Teachers' Day, is commonly known as "Family Month" in Korea, a time when people can appreciate the importance of family and the bonds that unite them. But when did May become Family Month?

May as Family Month is stipulated in Article 12 of the Framework Act on Healthy Families, enacted in 2004. The Framework Act on Healthy Families states that "May of every year shall be designated as Family Month in order to promote the importance of the family and to create an atmosphere of active participation by individuals, families, and society for healthy families." This law was established to support healthy family life and the maintenance and development of families.

International Day of Families also falls in May. The United Nations designated May 15 as the International Day of Families at its 44th General Assembly in 1989 to raise awareness of the importance of families and to promote recognition of their roles and responsibilities.

However, even before May was officially designated as Family Month, there were already many commemorative days in May dedicated to family. For example, Children's Day originated 103 years ago, in 1922, when Bang Jeonghwan and youth organizations, along with newspapers, proclaimed May 1 as Children's Day. At that time, children were often regarded as "little adults" and suffered from overwork, lacking proper protection in society. In response, Bang Jeonghwan led a children's rights movement that emphasized respect for children as independent individuals.

May 1962 Children's and Family Day Celebration. National Archives of Korea

At the first Children's Day celebration on May 1, 1923, he distributed a message to adults, which included eight requests such as: "Please use honorific language with children, and always speak kindly," "Do not look down on children, but look at them directly," and "Please make sure children get haircuts and baths at appropriate times."

Later, Children's Day was moved to the first Sunday of May to avoid overlapping with Labor Day. Due to Japanese colonial repression, Children's Day events were suspended, but after Korea's liberation, in 1946, Children's Day celebrations were revived on May 5.

The United Nations-designated Universal Children's Day falls on November 20, commemorating the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In China, Poland, and Ukraine, Children's Day is celebrated on June 1; in the United Kingdom, it is the second Sunday of May; and in the United States, the second Sunday of June. Each country celebrates on different dates.

On the 8th, in celebration of Parents' Day, volunteers at the Bapppun Sharing Movement Headquarters in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, are pinning carnations on the elderly. Photo by Dongju Yoon

What is now Parents' Day began as Mother's Day. Even before its official designation, youth organizations held and commemorated Mother's Day events, a practice believed to have been influenced by the United States. In August 1955, the Cabinet officially designated May 8 as Mother's Day, and the first official Mother's Day event was held the following year. In the 1970s, calls grew to honor both parents, and the government expanded the name to Parents' Day.

It is rare, as in Korea, to celebrate both parents on the same day. In most countries, Mother's Day and Father's Day are separate. In the United States, Mother's Day (the second Sunday of May) began when women's rights activist Anna Jarvis distributed white carnations in her neighborhood to honor her late mother, and it was officially designated a holiday in 1914. Father's Day (the third Sunday of June) began in 1910, when a woman advocated for a day to appreciate fathers and led the first celebration.

Japan and China also celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day on the same days as the United States. On these days, people present their parents with red carnations, gifts, and thank-you letters, and share a meal together.

Other family-related commemorative days include Married Couples' Day (May 21), which was established to promote family stability through marital harmony and to strengthen the family community. The number 21 symbolizes two people becoming one. In 2003, the private organization "Married Couples' Day Committee" submitted a petition to the National Assembly to establish Married Couples' Day as a national commemorative day, and it was officially designated as a legal commemorative day in 2007. May also includes Adoption Day (May 11), established to promote and normalize healthy adoption practices.