Siblings Day

Siblings are a very important aspect of anyone’s life and they even play a very crucial role in supporting the life of one another while growing up together. Thus the concept of siblings day was established to pick one day in between all the busy schedules to appreciate each other for all the help, love, support and companionship siblings provide to one another, that helps us in growing up. Thus the national siblings day is celebrated every year on April 10th in many countries including the United States, Australia and Canada. Also, brothers and sisters day 2020 was celebrated on 31st May in Europe. Though this day is not federally recognized in the United States and other countries as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, the Sibling Foundation has been working for quite a long time now to get it federally recognized all over the states. From the year 1998 till now, the government of 49 states in the United States has issued an official declaration to recognize and officially celebrate siblings’ day in their respective states. Hence the siblings day 2020 was celebrated all over the 49 states of the United States of America. 

Siblings Day is also celebrated in India in the form of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj, which is mostly the celebration of brotherhood. This celebration is a very old custom that has been mentioned in the mythological books of Hindus. This has been the oldest celebration of siblings that is meant to strengthen the bonds between them.   

History of Siblings Day

Siblings day was first initiated by Claudia Evart in the United States to pay regard and honor the memory of her brother and sister whom she lost at a very young age. Then in the year 1997, the Siblings Day Foundation was established but it did not get any recognition until in the year 1999. The 14th congressional district’s representative named Carolyn Maloney officially saluted the day and with this, the sibling day was introduced in the official records of Congress of the United States and is observed as a holiday since 10th April 1997. And then it continued to be celebrated in the years 2001, 2005 and then in 2008 post the official declaration of the day. 

For the first time in 2014, the European Large Family Configuration (ELFAC) recognized and established the “siblings day” as their official day of celebration to strengthen the bond among siblings. On siblings day, which is on 31st May every year, the way of celebrating the day is spread differently among the European countries where ELFAC is present. Even in Portugal, from the time the president of Portugal has the honor to greet and establish this day as a day of celebration, it steadily became a popularly celebrated day since 2016-2017. European Large Family Confederation (ELFAC) is presently functioning in many European countries like Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Chez Republic and many more.  

Who Started Siblings Day?

A lady named Claudia Evart, who is an American Citizen lost her brother named Alan and sister named Lisette at a very young age. So as to celebrate a day of their memories, she first conceptualized the idea of dedicating a day for siblings. From then, 10 April was counted as Siblings Day by Claudia. She started to celebrate this particular date as a Siblings day every year even before it was officially accepted by the states as a holiday or an official day of celebration. She dedicated 10th April in honor of her dead brother and sister and to inculcate a strong emotion around the bonding of siblings. Since then she herself admitted that she has dedicated most part of her life to encouraging the special bond shared by brothers and sisters among themselves and to nourish it as a special gift of God. 

Though the sibling day is celebrated across 49 major states of America since the year 1998 but was not federally recognized by the states’ governments. Claudia had founded an organization and the team of the organization along with Claudia is still working very hard through so many years to provide this day the recognition from the federal government of states. Even the organization of Claudia is also working with the UN lately to make it an internationally recognized day. Ever since Evart founded Sibling day she has been playing the role of the president of the Sibling Day Foundation. During the presidentship of Barack Obama, he also recognized it as an important day to nourish the bonding between siblings. Like any other year, the National Sibling Day 2020 couldn’t be celebrated in the United States, Canada and especially in the European countries because of the pandemic situations but still many people observed it in their houses by spending time with their siblings and getting gifts to cook dinners for each other.

Siblings Day in India

Sibling day in India is famously known as Raksha Bandhan that is hugely celebrated all over India especially in the northern belt of the country. This is also observed in Southern Asia who have been following Hinduism. This day is considered to be very auspicious for Hindus where the sisters of all ages tie an amulet famously known as Rakhi in Hindi around the wrist of their younger or older brothers. The rakhi is considered a symbol of being protected by the brothers and inculcates the feeling of responsibility and potential care of the brothers. It is then followed by exchanging gifts according to the Hindu calendar, Raksha Bandhan falls on the full moon day in the month of Savan. Savan is one of the most auspicious months according to the Hindu calendar as Lord Shiva is worshiped every Monday of this month.   

Another similar tradition that is followed in India and Nepal is Bhai Dooj that is famous with different names in different states of India. Some of them are, Bhai Dooj, Bhai Phota, Bhau Beej, Bhai, Bhai Juintuia and Yama Dwitiya. This celebration mostly falls on the lunar day of Shukla Paksha according to the Hindu calendar of Vikram Samvat or according to the Shalivahan calendar, it falls in the month of Kartik. In northern India, Bhai Dooj is celebrated twice by Khaytriyas. One after two days of Holi and the most popular one is two days after Diwali. This day is celebrated with the starting of inviting the brothers to their sister’s place and there they are offered with a large spread of meals that comprises favorite meal for each brother. The ceremony starts with the arti of brothers by their sisters followed by a red vermillion tika that the sisters mark on the forehead of their brothers. This represents the blessing of the sisters for their brothers and the promise of the brothers to protect their sisters in every situation. 

History of Siblings Day in India

It is popularly believed that the concept of Raksha Bandhan came from the time when queen Karnavati who was a widow at that time, sent a sacred thread to the biggest Mughal Emperor Humayun when she needed his help to protect her empire from the attack of the enemies. And that is when Humayun came as a protector of her kingdom. But in ancient mythology, it has been described that the idea of Raksha Bandhan was conceptualized when Draupadi tied rakhi to Lord Krishna when she tore off a piece from her saree to tie around Lord Krishna’s wrist to stop him from bleeding on a battlefield. In return, he promised to protect her from all odds.  He thus protects her dignity and respect which he did during the time of Draupadi’s infamous “Cheer Haran” by Kauravs when the Pandavas' lost their bet in the match of a gamble. 

Significance of Siblings Day

Sibling day is celebrated in many parts of the world and is most popular in the United States, Canada, Australia and in many countries of Europe where the European Large Family Confederation (ELFAC) is presently functioning. In India, it is being celebrated in two forms, namely, Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj. Both of the occasions are considered equally auspicious. The main significance of the Siblings Day and promotion of the same with the help of the UN to get it recognized in the whole world is to pay respect and regards to a very pure and integral relationship that is shared among the siblings. But as in the modern era, the family is getting nuclear and people are losing touch with one another. So it has become more vital to establish such occasions as a remembrance of very beautiful and unique relations of brothers and sisters.