[Pick] King Jeongjo of the filial son, '3000 flowers of the filial son of Joseon' dedicated to his mother

May 8 is Mother's Day.

On Mother's Day, children give their parents a lot of beautiful carnations.

Among the many flowers, do you know why the carnation has established itself as a 'filial piety flower' that symbolizes Mother's Day?

Also, do you know the story of 3,000 flowers of filial piety in Joseon, which Jeongjo, who was known as the filial king, gave to his mother?

Today, on Mother's Day, I will tell you about the origin of carnations and the 'filial piety flower' recorded in our Joseon history.

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On Mother's Day, why carnations among many flowers? 

The origins of carnation gifts that express love for parents can be traced back to the United States more than 100 years ago.

In the early 1900s, a woman named Anna Jarvis and her mother, Anne Levis Jarvis, lived in Webster Village, Philadelphia, USA.

Anna's mother, Madame Jarvis, regretted the high number of her orphans caused by social chaos, including the Civil War, and devotedly cared for the orphans in her village for over 20 years.

Mrs. Jarvis said she also worked at the Sunday School, educating her children as if they were her own, and she always taught her students to 'honor their parents' and embraced them with her love.

Then one day, Mrs. Jarvis fell ill due to overwork, and she died despite the earnest prayers of many people.

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Daughter Anna, who was grieving over her mother's death, said that on the day of the memorial service for her mother, Mrs. Jarvis, she offered carnations, which her mother loved while she was alive, to the memory of her mother's grace.

Anna, who always carried her carnations to visit her mother's tomb, has since passed out a white carnation to the people at her memorial service every year in remembrance of her mother.

Because of her filial piety, in Seattle in 1908, May 8, when Mrs. Jarvis died, was designated as Mother's Day, and the second Sunday in May was officially designated Mother's Day in the United States Congress.

As a result, on the second Sunday of May every year in the United States, it is said that those who have mothers who are alive wear red carnations, and those who have lost their mothers wear white carnations on their chests.

Since then, carnations have been reborn as a flower that symbolizes filial piety.

Korea, which was also influenced by 'Mother's Day', set May 8, 1956 as Mother's Day, but changed it to Mother's Day in 1973.

'The flower of filial piety in Joseon' Peach blossom

In our history, there is a 'filial piety flower' that conveys filial piety by praying for the well-being and longevity of the parents.

It is 'Peach Blossom'.

A representative example of giving peach blossoms to parents is the beautiful story of King Jeongjo, who was famous as a filial king during the Joseon Dynasty, and offered 3,000 peach blossoms to his sixtieth birthday party in hopes of good health and longevity for his mother, Hyegyeonggung Hong.

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Since ancient times, our ancestors regarded Mureungdowon as a place where peach blossoms were in full bloom, and considered peaches and peach blossoms to be symbols of health and longevity.

In the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, there is a record that King Jeongjo offered 3000 peach blossoms made of Korean paper for his mother, Hyegyeonggung Hong, who was on her 60th birthday.

At that time, King Jeongjo was known to have prepared the most beautiful and elegant 60th birthday party for his mother, who was alone at the age of 28 after the death of his father, Crown Prince Sado. known.

It is said that paper flowers made of hanji are made through various processes, so they are said to contain sincerity and were often used for precious events at the time.

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If you look closely at the painting 'Bongsudang Jinchando' depicting the feast of the day, each table with food is decorated with peach blossoms, and you can see that not only the dancers but also the guards are holding the peach blossoms.

If you look at the picture of that day when it was full of peach blossoms, you can see how much filial piety he had for his mother.

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Anna, who celebrated her mother's grace with carnations, and Jeongjo, who offered 3,000 peach blossoms and prayed for the health and longevity of her mother, Hyegyeonggung Hong.

The most important thing in any flower is the sincere heart of children towards their parents, isn't it?

In order to convey that precious heart to my parents, I would like to say, 'Thank you.

I love you.'