National Aunt and Uncle Day is celebrated every July 26. Our aunts and uncles are unique parts of our family; they can be like a second set of parents, or great friends you happen to be related to.
Often, they’ve watched us grow up, and are full of stories about things we did in our youth we might not even remember. July is a great month for a cookout, or outdoor activities.
Call up your aunts and uncles and ask them to come out and celebrate their special place in your life.
It’s unclear exactly when National Aunt and Uncle Day was started, but it’s safe to say people have been celebrating their parent’s siblings for a long time. The word aunt is derived from the French word for the same familial relation, tante. Uncle is also derived from a french word — oncle. Both of these words start even further back in history, stemming from the Latin words amita and avunculus respectively.
Aunts and uncles have different roles in many human societies. For example, in the Ashanti tribe of Ghana, aunts and uncles are given free reign to discipline and raise their siblings’ children. They’re essentially a second set of parents, who you real parents trust the most because, well, they were raised together.
In many Polynesian cultures, anyone older than you may be addressed as aunt or uncle as a term of respect and endearment. Aunts and uncles also occupy a place of importance in modern pop culture, with many famous examples across television, literature, and film.
Often, these characters, such as Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince, act as parental figures for their niece, nephews, and their own children, signifying their position as wise and trusted members of the family.
