Cousins Day

Cousins Day History

Cousins Day is an annual observance that celebrates the special bond between cousins and honours the importance of family connections. This day highlights the role of cousins as close relatives and friends, offering a chance to reach out and reconnect with them. By emphasizing family bonds, Cousins Day encourages the creation of happy memories and the strengthening of familial relationships.

For Canadians, this observance presents an opportunity to appreciate the diverse cultural backgrounds of their cousins and learn about different customs and traditions. As Canada is known for its multiculturalism, Cousins Day helps foster a sense of unity and understanding among family members with different heritages.

In Canada, Cousins Day is observed by spending time with one's cousins, either in person or through phone calls and online messaging. Individuals may choose to organize family gatherings or parties, taking this opportunity to catch up and reminisce about shared times. Moreover, Cousins Day provides a moment to create new memories and honour the role of cousins within the family structure. The celebration takes place every year on July 24th, allowing Canadians to come together and cherish their unique family bonds.

Cousins Day facts & quotes

• According to smithsonianmag.com, geneticist Yaniv Erlich was able to connect 13 million relatives around the world over the course of 5 years (2013-2018). These relatives were all mostly of European descent and their data was compiled by Erlich and his team. Using names, sex, dates and places of birth, and the dates of death, Erlich's team was able to create a data base of 5.3 million family trees.
• Despite the familial term kissing cousins, it is not a day for kissing your cousins. The term usually refers to a distant relative who is familiar enough to be greeted with a kiss.
• Some genetics experts say that cousins share about 12.5% of their DNA if they are first cousins, about 3.13% if they are second cousins, and about 0.78% if they are third cousins.
• In a Canadian context, the term cousin is used to refer to family connections between relatives who share a common ancestor. It is derived from the Old French word cosin and Latin consobrinus.
• Cousin marriages or consanguineous relationships are generally not prohibited in Canada, as long as they are beyond first cousins.

In the News and Trending in Canada for Cousins Day

Top things to do in Canada for Cousins Day

• Host a family reunion. You might see cousins that you haven't seen in a while. You may even meet new ones.
• Try discovering your own family tree. You can search by name and birthplace to see if you have any family out there that you didn't know about.
• Visit famous landmarks such as the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, or the Canadian Museum for Human Rights with your cousins.
• Visit a zoo or aquarium like the Toronto Zoo, Vancouver Aquarium, or the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.