National Twin Day was historically celebrated during the first weekend of August each year, but it was proclaimed in 2019 that it would be celebrated on December 18. Mythology provides a lot of information about these unique twins. Remember Esau and Jacob? They were the first twins recorded in the Bible. When twins are depicted in literature or modern-day sitcoms, we are always moved to tears and totally amazed. It has always fascinated us whenever we see twins among us, whether as babies, teenagers, or adults, whether they are fraternal or identical. National Twin Day is a day set aside to celebrate the unique bond between these siblings who share the same birthdays, regardless of whether they are twins, triplets, quads, or more — anyone is welcome.
NATIONAL TWIN DAY HISTORY
Moses and Aaron Wilcox gave six acres of land to the town of Millville in exchange for changing its name to Twinsburg, which served as the inspiration for National Twin Day.
The first twin festival was held in Twinsburg in 1976 in honor of the Wilcox twins. However, only 36 twins attended that year, so Twinsburg was determined to make the second twin festival a success. It was their determination to create a second twin festival that spawned National Twin Day. Twinsburg remains the epicenter of National Twin Day to this day.
In total, 43 festivals have been held and over 77,000 twins and multiples have attended. According to Guinness World Records, the National Twin Day Festival is the largest annual gathering of twins in the world.
Although it has grown to become globally accepted, National Twin Day was not always this popular. The first time Twin Day was proposed to the city council, it was rejected. Now that the event has become almost a part of modern culture and is considered to be the largest annual gathering of twins in the world, it attracts thousands of participants from all over the country and around the world to celebrate the unique gift of twins.
National Twins Day 2023 (US): Date, History, Activities, Facts
Notable Twins:
We’ve also found twins to be fascinating over the years. Literature embraced the twin duplicity with enthusiasm. Take Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, for example, and the confusion that ensues with Sebastian and Viola.
Even modern-day sitcoms keep us in tears when twins are portrayed. Phoebe Buffay of the sitcom Friends and, more recently, Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory humorously depicted their twin lives.
But real-life twins intrigue us, too. When twins move into the White House, we are sure to pay attention, as was the case with Barbara and Jenna Bush in 2001.
Of course, when they play magical characters like James and Oliver Phelps did in the Harry Potter series, we feel like they’re family. Their roles as Fred and George Weasley kept us coming back for more.
Some twins have the same interests. Scott and Mark Kelly, for example, became astronauts and contributed to both space exploration and science.
Twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux’s love of hockey brought them together on the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.
Twins share so much more than DNA. Many of them don’t even look alike. One thing is for sure, they share National Twin Day.
NATIONAL TWIN DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | December 18 | Monday |
| 2024 | December 18 | Wednesday |
| 2025 | December 18 | Thursday |
| 2026 | December 18 | Friday |
| 2027 | December 18 | Saturday |
