National Siblings Day: The Importance of Siblings in Latino culture

This April 10th, National Siblings Day is celebrated across the country. The date honors and strengthens the bond shared by siblings, and is a way of reminding us how they encourage us to be our best, embarrass us, and are our biggest motivators and competitors.

Claudia Evart created the U.S. holiday in 1995 after losing her brother and sister at a very early age. After their deaths, she realized the huge role siblings have in our lives, so she created the holiday to honor their memory. Claudia chose April 10th as the official date, as it was her late sister Lisette’s birthday.

Claudia also created the “Siblings Day Foundation” which continues to spread the mission of honoring our siblings. The foundation is working to make the holiday federally recognized in the United States, and is working on establishing an International Siblings Day through the United Nations. Since 1998, 49 states have issued gubernatorial proclamations to observe this day on April 10th and three US presidents have recognized the holiday.

Famous Latino siblings

Selena y Los Dinos: Before Selena Quintanilla became one of the world’s biggest Latina superstars, her style- and, later, her legacy- was crafted by her family, mainly her siblings Suzette and A. B. Quintanilla, who were the rhythmic backbone of Los Dinos.

Jesse & Joy: Over the past 15 years, this Mexican brother and sister pop duo has released an incredible number of chart-topping hits that have put their names at the top of the music industry.

Pimpinela: Lucía and Joaquín Galán are an Argentine duo who began singing in the 80s. They confused many fans when they revealed they are real-life brother and sister, especially since some of their biggest hits are duets that play out like quarrels between lovers. 

Cali y El Dandee: Colombian brothers Alejandro and Mauricio Rengifo have sung together for more than a decade. Besides singing, Mauricio is a Latin Grammy producer of the year winner, who co-produced Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.”

Mau y Ricky: Singer-songwriter brothers Mauricio and Ricardo Montaner, sons of Latin pop artist Ricardo Montaner, have skyrocketed to fame after collaborating with artists such as Karol G, Lali, Thalia, and Sebastian Yatra, to name a few.

Manuel and Julián Turizo: Although Colombian singer Manuel’s name resonates the most, he wouldn’t have come this far without his brother. Julián, who is three years older, writes and produces all of his sibling’s songs.

Siblings relationship in Hispanic culture

According to census data, Latin American families tend to have more children than those of European descent. Families also value cultural beliefs and practices that may promote close relationships between sisters and brothers, emphasizing family support and loyalty among family members.

Siblings are the family members that spend more time together. This is even more so in Latino families, since parents may work outside regular business hours and older siblings tend to take care of the younger ones. This also implies that Hispanic siblings are much more protective of each other and their relationship is much closer.

There tends to be very little sibling rivalry between Latino children as they have learned the Latino cultural values of cooperation, sharing, and working together for the well-being of the entire family. Since the importance of familial relationships is taught from a very young age, siblings tend to stay close all their life.