National Brothers Day 2027 is on Monday

About National Brothers Day

Brothers Day gives brothers a date of their own, separate from the broader National Siblings Day in April. People use it to thank a brother for his support, share old photos and stories, or simply get in touch. Many also stretch it to include close friends who feel like brothers.

Its origin is thinly documented. Most accounts credit a man from Alabama named C. Daniel Rhodes, who is said to have wanted a day just for brothers, but published accounts give both 2005 and 2015 as the year he started it. No founding organization, proclamation or other official record supports either date. May 24 has nonetheless become the date most widely used for the observance in the United States.

The day has no official status. It is separate from older traditions that honor brothers in other cultures. In South Asia, for example, the Hindu festivals Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj celebrate the bond between brothers and sisters, following the lunar calendar. Those festivals are religious and cultural occasions with a long history and are not connected to the May 24 observance.

Sources: Romper: When is National Brothers Day?. How we check dates.

How to mark National Brothers Day

• Call or message your brother and remind him of a favorite shared memory.
• Plan something you used to do together as kids, such as shooting hoops, fishing or playing an old board game.
• Share an old photo of the two of you with the rest of the family.
• Thank a friend who has been like a brother to you.
• If your brother has died, spend some time doing something he enjoyed, or tell his story to someone who never met him.

National Brothers Day dates