Whether “identical” or “fraternal”, being a “twin” is truly a unique experience.

Approximately, 25% of “identical twins” are “mirror image twins”, which means that they are “exact reflections” of each other. However, they do not have identical genetic setup or even fingerprints. Nigeria holds the record forthe highest rate of “twin births” globally. Do you know that there is a festival in the USA, dedicated to the twins only? Following are some of the unknown facts about this festival.

When is “National Twins Day”?

“National Twins Day” is celebrated on the first Saturday of August every year. However, it is celebrated as a “weekend-long” festival.

How is “National Twins Day” celebrated?

Around 3,000 sets of twins visit the town of “Twinsburg”, located in Ohio, during the first weekend of August every year. This place is dedicated to celebrating this festival. It is considered the “largest” gathering of twins in this world. Various competitions are conducted during this festival. Some of those exciting competitions are “Most Alike”, “Least Alike”, and “ Best matched Theme Outfits” for all age groups. Another interesting part is the “talent show” where twins showcase their talents. You will be amazed when the “Double Take parade” is conducted. Twins work together with similar outfits. This is truly fascinating. There are some activities where families can also participate. They play golf, volleyball together. Identical twins are utilized for scientific research also. You may get to see a tent where a group of scientists is present to get their surveys done. Mostly they try to understand various behavioral traits. They conduct several case studies there. To get such an enormous amount of twins in one place is truly a blessing for scientists.

How did this celebration start?

In the year 1819, a pair of twins named “Moses” & “Aaron Wilcox”, donated around 6 acres to the town of “Millsville”, located in Ohio. To remember them, the town was later named “Twinsburg”. In 1976, the festival started as an honorary ceremony of the “Wilcox twins”. The very first “Twins Days Festival” was started in 1976 at “Glenn Chamberlin Park”. At that time, 37 sets of twins attended the festival. The committee of the festival was not at all discouraged. It was the unwavering commitment of the town to the “Wilcox twin” that led to the creation of “National Twins Day”. Then it started growing and became globally popular.

Some interesting trivia about this festival:

In 1999, a famous incident happened during this festival. One set of “identical twin” boys married another set of “identical twin” girls. They met during the festival and fell in love. Let me share another interesting trivia, one of the couples had a set of “identical twins” later. Interesting, right?

Do you know any twins? You must tell them to visit and celebrate the twins festival.