Our siblings are a crucial part of our lives. We fight with them, argue with them, and often compete with them for the smallest of things. However, they are also the ones with whom we learn, play, and enjoy and cannot imagine any happiness if they are not a part of it. That’s the beauty of sibling relationships.
In India, the most prominent festival solely dedicated to this bonding is Rakshabandhan. But if we love our siblings so much then why should we restrict the celebrations to just a single festival.
Sibling’s day, just like mother’s day or father’s day is a unique celebration to honour this beautiful relationship we share with our siblings. On this day, siblings appreciate their love for each other, gift each other and celebrate their bond of love.
If you haven’t celebrated it before or you want to know its history and significance, this blog is for you. Let’s get started with how this festival came into existence in the first place.
The story of Sibling’s Day celebrations goes back to the endeavours of a US woman named Claudia Evart.
Claudia lost her brother and sister at a very young age and to mark the significance of siblings in one’s life, she initiated the concept of Sibings Day. The first Siblings’ Day was celebrated on 10th April 1995. As her sister’s birth anniversary falls on this day, she chose this particular date to celebrate the bond of siblings.
According to Evart, her whole life is dedicated to making sure that the wonderful relationship between brothers and sisters is cherished and recognised as a unique gift. Today, Sibling’s Day is celebrated in several countries of the world including the United Kingdom, Australia, India and many more.
Along with creating Siblings Day, Claudia also established the Siblings Day Foundation (SDF) in 1997. This unique foundation seeks to unite or reunite siblings who get separated due to several reasons like distance, circumstance, birth or adoption etc.
Currently, Siblings Day is a holiday recognized annually in some parts of the United States and Canada. The day is not federally recognised in the United States but is enthusiastically celebrated on April 10th. Evart’s foundation is trying its best to make Siblings Day a federally recognized holiday in the country and to make this day an international holiday with the help of the United Nations.
The same festival is observed as Brothers and Sisters Day on May 31 in European countries.
On this day, siblings express their gratitude towards each other. They surprise each other with gifts, take them out for lunch or dinner, greet them with messages and social media posts and organise special parties.
We all love our siblings. Even if we say we don’t, we do. We are always there for them when they are feeling low and vice versa.
Sibling’s Day is a perfect opportunity for you to communicate your love towards them. On this 10th of April, hug your siblings, do some of your favourite activities, send handwritten notes to them, gift them or you can read our blog on How to Celebrate Sibling’s Day.
For more information on celebrations, gift ideas and exciting activities, visit www.pepshep.com.