National Family Day – September 26, 2022, history significance why we celebrate
National Family Day, celebrated on September 26, puts the spotlight on the people that make our lives meaningful. Families come in many forms and sizes and under different circumstances, but what they all share is unconditional love and support for those growing on the same family tree.
From nuclear family units to extended clans, families can drive us crazy and make life worth living. Take some time today to appreciate the special folks in your life — give them a call, take them out to lunch, or send them a note to let them know you’re thinking of them!
History of National Family Day
National Family Day is celebrated all over the world. In fact, in some countries it is celebrated as a public holiday. This includes Songkran in Thailand, as well as in the Australian Capital Territory, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Uruguay, the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona, a number of different Canadian provinces, and in South Africa as well.
NATIONAL FAMILY DAY TIMELINE
1967
Love Wins
Interracial marriage becomes fully legal in the United States.
1969
Marital Bliss
The Brady Bunch becomes the first popular TV program to show a married couple sharing a bed.
1987
“America’s Family”
Beloved animated sitcom The Simpsons debuts on the Tracey Ullman Show.
1994
Choose Your Family
Popular television show, Friends, premiers on NBC, acknowledging a different form of family.
TRADITIONS OF THE DAY
The word ‘family’ is not limited to a nuclear one; anyone with whom a meaningful bond develops becomes family. Friends, pets, a neighbor, all fall under the term family.
Family game nights, arguing over petty things, inside jokes, heading out to favorite restaurants and parks, watching home videos or movies, and more, are the traditions for the day. Whatever it is that only you and your family share as a tradition. The important thing is to really cherish each other.
Many fictional characters have served as a family to us as well. Characters like Harry Potter, who many of us have grown up with, or Ted Mosby searching for the love of his life in “How I Met Your Mother” have helped us through tough times and are almost like family. The estranged or those without family find solace in these characters and cherish them.
BY THE NUMBERS
32% – the percentage of single parents who account for family households with children under the age of 18.
19.2 million – the number of families living in the U.K. in 2019.
⅔ – the fraction of families in the U.K represented by married or civil partner couples.
2 out of 3 – the number of adolescents aged 12–17 who live with both parents.
7% – the percentage of children who lived at their grandparents’ homes in 2017.
63% – the percentage of parents of teens who feel they can talk about meaningful things with their children.
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5 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT FAMILY
I Love Lucy almost didn’t happen
Network executives hesitated to cast Lucille Ball’s real-life husband Desi Arnaz but, at Ball’s insistence, Lucy and Ricky became the first interracial couple on television and spawned an American classic.
The high-tech Addams Family
Believe it or not, the first PC on television appeared on The Addams Family in the 1960s.
Stone age suburbia
Inspired by The Honeymooners’ cheeky family dynamics, The Flintstones debuted in 1960 as the first animated show on prime time.
“You rang?” was an ad-lib
Lurch the butler was written as mute in the original The Addams Family sitcom, but Ted Cassidy’s ad-libbed “You rang?” became an iconic line.
The Simpsons drew from real life
The characters on The Simpsons are inspired by and named after Matt Groening’s own family members.
How to celebrate National Family Day
There are many different ways that you can celebrate National Family Day! We recommend spending some time with the ones that you love. There are some great films that center on families. If you have never seen the Disney film Lilo and Stitch, this is definitely a good movie to put on during National Family Day.
It follows a family that is broken, damaged, but held together by love. You have some amazing quotes that will make you smile and warm your heart. Two of the most well-known come from Stitch, an illegally-made, genetically-engineered, extraterrestrial life form that looks like a blue koala. He says:
“Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”
“This is my family. I found it all on my own. It’s little, and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good.”
There are plenty of other ways that you can have fun with your family on this date. You could relive something that you all used to enjoy doing while you were younger. Why not take a walk together or grab some ice cream? It is up to you. You don’t need to spend a lot. It is all about spending some quality time together. If you and your family live together at the moment, why not commit to turning social media and smartphones off for the day and purely spend some time with one and other?
If you are not able to spend time with your family on this day because you live too far away, or for any other reason, this does not mean that you can’t show your family how much you love them and how much they mean to you.
Why not send them a lovely card to show your appreciation? Or, simply pick up the phone or arrange a video call over Skype or WhatsApp? You don’t have to find a lot of time to make your family feel loved and to let them know just how much they mean to you.
It is important to remember that there are going to be a lot of people who do not have family. This could be because their parents have passed away. It could be because their family abandoned them and they have always been on their own.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people across the world that aren’t blessed with the best of families, for one reason or another. It is great to find the time to check on these people on National Family Day, as they may be finding it difficult. Let them know that while you may not be their family, you are always going to be there for them. We are sure that this will mean a lot!
