It would be difficult to contest the fact that the bond between siblings is extra-special! Especially because many of them have spent most of their entire lives together. Many people can’t even remember a time when their siblings weren’t part of their lives. Some of them even shared a womb at the same time, if they were born as multiples!

Sibling bonds are often life-long relationships, usually lasting from cradle to grave. Since siblings are most likely from the same generation, these are often the longest relationships of a person’s life–much longer than a mother’s and father’s relationship.

Siblings Day is a way of honouring the special bond that happens within families, as brothers and sisters share life together from childhood into adulthood and even into old age.

It’s time to celebrate Siblings Day!

How to Celebrate Siblings Day

Depending on the circumstances, celebrating Siblings Day might be a fun, enjoyable event, or it might come with some bittersweet memories. Either way, it’s an important day to recognize and remember, so put these ideas into practice or come up with other creative ways to acknowledge the day:

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Spend Time With a Sibling

One of the most important activities on this day is to acknowledge and appreciate a brother or sister (or both!) Siblings Day can be celebrated by making a phone call to a sibling, sending a card or gift, making a dinner invitation, or simply going for a walk in the park.

For those who have siblings who have passed away, this might be a nice time to visit a place that holds happy memories from younger days. It might be necessary to take time to be sad, if needed, and also take time to remember and be thankful.

Reminisce Through Old Photos

Many people have lots of old photos that they haven’t looked at in quite some time. Whether they were taken on film long ago and are now sitting in a shoebox somewhere, or they have been digitized and are easily accessible online, Siblings Day is a fun day to enjoy the nostalgia of those photos.

Share them with others in the family who might also have enjoyable memories. Siblings Day might even be the right time to put together a scrapbook to hold photos, memories and stories of beloved brothers and sisters.

Make Use of The Siblings Day Foundation Resources

As part of their work, the Siblings Day charitable organization provides different types of help related to siblings, whether due to grief and loss or the need for connection. Some of the services offered by the organization include:

• Sibling-2-Sibling Support Groups. Offered to those who need help with grief recovery due to the loss of a sibling, this support service engages the help of professionals such as social workers and psychologists.
• Lost Sibling Registry. For those who have lost touch with a sibling for some reason or another, this registry helps to match up missing brothers and sisters with each other.
• Adopt-a-Sibling Program. Providing resources that helps facilitate the adoption of siblings.

Teach Children to Appreciate Their Siblings

It’s never too early to get a start on teaching children to love and care for their brothers and sisters.

For parents of little ones who want to celebrate Siblings Day, it’s fun to dress siblings in matching outfits and have a photo shoot. Older kids can write letters or stories that include the things they appreciate each other–these can then be put into a memory box to read when the kids grow up!

Kids can also read (or have read to them) books about siblings that encourage them to get along. These might include The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight by Jennifer L. Holm; Lola Reads to Leo, by Anna McQuinn; The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon, by Matthew Burges; or anything from the Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child.

Listen to Music about Brothers and Sisters

Creating and sharing a playlist in honor of the relationship between siblings is a fun way to celebrate National Siblings Day. For those who have local siblings, get together and listen to songs that have special nostalgia within the family. For those who have faraway siblings or siblings who have passed away, listening to songs that are reminiscent of times together can be therapeutic.

Put some of these songs onto a playlist on Spotify or another music hosting site, or come up with your own list of songs:

• He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother (1969) The Hollies
• My Big Sister (2008) Barenaked Ladies
• Brother Sister (2010) Beta Radio
• When We Grow Up (1973) Diana Ross
• Sister to a Brother (2011) Rob Finlay
• My Sister Says the Saddest Things (2010) Grimes
• Sister Christian (1983) Night Ranger

Watch a Film About Siblings

Whether watching along with a brother/sister or alone, these films feature the relationships between siblings:

• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). A comedy musical film about a group of backwoods brothers who are all looking to get married.
• Sabrina (1954). Two brothers compete for the attention of a beautiful woman, Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn).
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). The stories of three grown siblings whose lives intertwine from one Thanksgiving to another.
• The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). This rom-com features two brothers (played by actual brothers, Beau and Jeff Bridges) who try to eke out a living as lounge pianists.
• My Sister’s Keeper (2009). A heart-wrenching story about a girl with cancer and her sister who donates her tissue to keep her alive, with Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin.
• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) A touching story about a young man (Johnny Depp) who tries to keep his family together, including taking care of his younger brother (Leo DiCaprio) who has mental health struggles.

History of Siblings Day

Siblings Day was created by Claudia Evart, a freelance paralegal professional from Manhattan, New York, USA. Evart was inspired to start Siblings Day after she had the tragic experience of losing both her brother and her sister in separate accidents at an early age. The date of Siblings Day is very important to its founder as it marks the birthday of her sister, Lisette.

In an effort to promote the day, Evart began the Siblings Day Foundation as a charitable organization in 1995. Since then, the founder has dedicated herself to convincing American government officials to recognize the day. Her success in this effort has included 49 state governors, many congressmen and congresswomen, as well as US presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton.

Mostly, however, Evart wants the public all over the world to recognize the day and use it to appreciate their own brothers and sisters. The Siblings Day Foundation also offers resources for people who need help with their sibling relationships.

In addition to the United States, Siblings Day is celebrated in many countries, including Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Nigeria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and many more.

Sometimes called Brothers and Sisters Day, this is a day of celebration and recognition for siblings around the world, whether they have passed on or are still living.