Everything you need to know about National Twins Day 2020 - and how to celebrate

Will you be celebrating National Twins Day? (Photo: Shutterstock)Will you be celebrating National Twins Day? (Photo: Shutterstock)
Will you be celebrating National Twins Day? (Photo: Shutterstock)

Across the calendar year, there are national days for just about everything - from National Penpal Day on 1 June to National Strawberry Day on 27 February - and this weekend, twins get to celebrate their own national day.

National Twins Day takes place each year in August and provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate all things about being a twin.

When is National Twins Day?

While it is called National Twins Day, the “day” is actually celebrated over a full weekend.

National Twins Day is celebrated on the first full weekend of August, which means that the Friday, Saturday and Sunday are all the first in August.

This means that in 2020, National Twins Day will take place on 7, 8 and 9 August.

What is National Twins Day?

Much like Mother's Day and Father's Day are days to celebrate mothers and fathers, National Twins Day is a day to celebrate the bond between twins, whether they are identical or not.

National Twins Day was inspired by a pair of twins called Moses and Aaron Wilcox - in 1819, the pair of identical twins donated six acres of land to the town of Millsville in Ohio, on the condition that its name was changed to Twinssburg.

In 1976, the town of Twinssburg began hosting an annual festival for twins, which then became the basis for National Twins Day.

How do I celebrate National Twins Day?

National Twins Day is all about celebrating your bond with your twin, so if possible, you should spend some time together.

If not, you can always try connecting over the phone, or social media.

If you feel inspired to post pictures of you and your twin, remember to use the hashtag #NationalTwinsDay.

Interesting facts about twins

There are a lot of interesting facts about twins that you might not be aware of, such as:

  • Identical twins do not have identical fingerprints
  • Benin, in West Africa, has the highest national average of twin births in the world
  • Tall women are more likely to have twins
  • Women who eat a lot of dairy are more prone to conceiving twins
  • Some conjoined twins can feel and taste what the other one does
  • 40 per cent of twins invent their own language - these are called autonomous languages

Famous twin characters in film and TV include:

  • Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter franchise)
  • Phoebe and Ursula Buffay (Friends)
  • Hallie Parker and Annie James (The Parent Trap)
  • Patty and Selma Bouvier (The Simpsons)
  • Dennis and Dee Reynolds (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
  • Zack and Cody Martin (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody)

Are there other national days for siblings?

Non-twins need not miss out on their own national day - there’s one for just about everyone.

These are more family related national days you can celebrate throughout the year:

  • International Children’s Day, 1 June
  • International Day of Families, 15 May
  • National Adoption Day, 21 November
  • National Brothers Day, 24 May
  • National Cousins Day, 24 July
  • National Daughters Day, 25 September
  • National Middle Child Day, 12 August
  • National Siblings Day, 10 April
  • National Sister’s Day, 2 August
  • National Sons Day, 4 March
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