Families, after attending the Sunday mass with "lolo" and "lola," will gather for small private gatherings and family reunions, or make a trip to the mall or the park in celebration of the special event.

Special events for senior citizens are traditionally organized by church groups and senior organizations on Grandparents’ Day, while many shopping centers will hold free blood pressure monitoring, eye check-ups, programs, and contests for the elderly.

A popular gift given during Grandparents’ Day is the "Forget-me-not," the official flower for the occasion.

The Catholic Church encourages grandchildren to offer special prayers to the patrons of grandparents, Sts. Joachim and Ann, the parents of the blessed Virgin Mary, whose birth anniversary falls tomorrow, Sept.8, and the grandparents of Jesus, for continued blessings of good health and safety for all the senior members of the family.

In the Philippines, grandparents are cared for, valued, respected, and given importance all days of the year. According to a study, "The elderly members of the family are our continuing link to the near-past, to the events, beliefs, and experiences that strongly affect our lives and the world around us. They also provide the society a link to traditions and national heritage."

Grandparents’ Day was the brainchild of Marian McQuade of West Virginia, United States, a mother of 15, and a grandmother of 40, who thought of the commemoration to cheer the lonely elderly in nursing homes and persuade grandchildren to honor the wisdom and heritage of their grandparents.

In 1978, then US President Jimmy Carter declared the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents’ Day, a tradition soon adapted by many other countries around the world.