National Brothers and Sisters Day is a holiday that’s observed annually in the United States on May 2nd. It celebrates the special bond between siblings and gives brothers and sisters an opportunity to celebrate their relationship. This holiday should not be confused with other holidays that also celebrate siblings.

Sibling Day falls on April 10th every year, and Brothers and Sisters Day is celebrated in France, Portugal, and Spain on May 31st. This has caused quite a bit of confusion with many online calendars and with people attempting to observe these holidays.

The History of National Brothers and Sisters Day

This holiday, like all sibling-based holidays, can be traced back to the 1990s. Claudia Evart established the Siblings Day Foundation in 1997 to honor the memory of her brother and sister, both of whom had died at early ages. The organization achieved non-profit status two years later.

The foundation lobbied for the introduction of an official holiday to celebrate the bond between brothers and sisters. The first time Siblings Day was introduced into the public record was on April 10th, 1997, by U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, Carolyn Maloney. It was also introduced in 2001, 2005, and eventually in 2008. In 2014, Siblings Day was launched in Europe by the European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) and set for May 31st.

Eventually, someone inspired by this holiday created National Brothers and Sisters Day and placed it on May 2nd. Unfortunately, we are unsure of who that person was, why they chose this date, or when they invented the holiday. All we know is that it was created sometime after 2011.

Some Quick Facts About Siblings

We wanted to cover some basic facts about siblings that we think everyone could appreciate, so we conducted some preliminary research and came up with a few facts. Let’s take a look at these facts below.

• By the time children are 11 years old, they’ve spent roughly a third of their time with siblings, on average.
• Studies show that siblings have a profound effect on each other’s personalities while growing up.
• Younger siblings tend to be less risk-averse and more extroverted than older siblings.
• Younger siblings tend to have fewer allergies.
• According to a recent study, siblings who grow up together tend to have a lower risk of obesity.
• For every sibling growing up together, the risk of obesity drops by about 14%.
• Some studies suggest that older siblings are more intelligent, but only by a small margin.

Observing National Brothers and Sisters Day

Everyone is encouraged to reach out to their siblings on this holiday, whether through a call, a letter, or an in-person visit. Even if siblings have not connected in a long time, they should still take the opportunity to reach out.

It can also be done through social media (if the sibling is on social media) by using the hashtag #BrothersAndSistersDay. Of course, not everyone has siblings, and we believe these individuals should not be left out of the fun. We suggest they reach out to a close friend, someone with whom they share a bond akin to that of siblings. They can take their friend out to dinner or buy them drinks.