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How do you take a picture of happiness? We asked photographers to surprise us

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International Day of Happiness is March 20. The United Nations proclaimed this day in 2012 at the request of Bhutan, a country that actually releases its own annual happiness index.
So what does it mean to have such a day? « It’s a day to be happy, of course! » the U.N. says — « a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. »
Since 2023 so far has been beset by conflict, natural disasters and a continuing pandemic, maybe celebrating the importance of happiness isn’t as hokey as it sounds.
Happiness can stem from economic well-being, the U.N. further notes. But this year, the International Day of Happiness has embraced themes that do not depend on material well-being: « Be mindful. Be grateful. Be kind. »
We reached out to photographers around the world who’ve contributed to our blog, asking for photos from their archive that capture gratitude and kindness.
The images they sent warmed our hearts. They reaffirmed the joy to be found in acts of kindness. They made us happy. We hope they make you happy, too.
Ten-month-old Ahmin Esas, who was born with clubfoot, shares a joyful moment with his mother and brother in the family’s home near Battambang, Cambodia, in February 2023. His mother, Pho Sok, had believed he’d never be able to walk or live independently until a doctor told her the condition was treatable. A single parent, Sok earns about $4 a week stripping down palm fronds and selling the fibers to a broom maker. To get her son treatment, which involved placing his feet in new plaster casts every week for the first few months of his life, she borrowed money and hitched rides on the back of her neighbors’ motorbikes to the clinic, which was run by a local NGO, NextSteps. « I was desperate to get his feet healed and for him to be able to live a good life, » she said. If he wears a brace at night for the next few years, she says, he’ll be fully mobile.
« I was visiting New York City in August, 2022. Walking through Prospect Park I came across Jeremiah Balan and was struck by how much fun he was having by the lake, feeding the ducks, » says photographer Yolanda Escobar Jiménez. Originally from Haiti, Balan told her that every day when he gets off work, he walks through Prospect Park to relax. He finds a quiet spot to sit, turns on his speakers to listen to gospel and enjoys nature.
Pasio Caballero lives in the tiny town of Pucallpillo, Peru. Pasio — short for Pasiona cooks three meals a day for some of her neighbors, who depend on that food to survive. In June 2022, the day before the traditional holiday of San Juan, Pasio was cooking juanes for a feast — a traditional dish from the Amazon with chicken, rice, olives, spices and an egg, all wrapped in a leaf from a bijao tree. It is a hard task but photographer Macarena Tabja says Pasio is unstoppable, motivated by the goodness of her heart and her eagerness to make people happy through what she knows best: her cooking.
Izna and Saba and friends dance with joy in August 2022 for the high tide and the rains of the monsoon season, bringing relief to Mumbai from summer heat. They’re members of Mumbai’s transgender, or Hijra, community, which faces prejudice and discrimination. « Photographing and interacting with these friends was a reminder to me to not only have gratitude for the larger and more significant events in my life, but of the smaller everyday moments of life as well, » says photographer Viraj Nayer.

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