Today is Grandparent's Day! Do you know the origin of this celebration?

Today is July 26, when Grandparents Day is celebrated. But do you know the reason for this celebration? Grandparents are the parents of our parents, which means that each person has a couple of maternal grandparents and a parent. Therefore, in relation to grandchildren, it is as if they are parents for the second time.

According to Brazilian tradition, its emergence is related to the Christian commemorations of the days of Santa Ana and São Joaquim, which were the parents of Mary and, subsequently, the grandparents of Jesus Christ. According to the Brasil Escola website, there are very few historical records about them, and the Gospel of James mentions that in 1889, in the city of Jerusalem, the tombs were found where the couple of Christ's grandparents were buried.

Another strand for the origin of this date is a day created especially to honor older family members, but not with gifts or greeting cards and flowers. According to the Legacy Project in the US, Grandparents Day is celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day (which is the equivalent of the American Labor Day celebrated on the first Monday of September).

Thus, in the US, this date originated in the 1970s, signed by President Jimmy Carter in honor of Marian McQuade. This lady was married to her husband Joseph L. McQuade for over 60 years, with whom she had 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and “just” a great-grandson. The intention behind the creation of this date is to educate the younger ones about the importance of the accomplishments of older people throughout history.

Gifts?

Instead of buying some trinkets for your grandparents, it may be much more important to spend time with them, talking and listening to what they have to say. It is always worth spending time with the most experienced, especially to pay attention to them and, perhaps, hear some stories from the time when they were young.

Happy of those who have (or had) grandparents! If you are grandpa or grandma then have a happy grandparents day!