When and Why Is International Day of Friendship Celebrated?

The International Friendship Day is a day that has been set aside to celebrate friendship around the world. The event has been observed for long in South American countries especially in Paraguay where the first World Friendship Day was celebrated in 1958. The official date for celebrating World Friendship Day is July 30th although in some other parts of the world the day is usually set on the first Sunday of August.

Brief History of the International Day of Friendship

There have been attempts to start a day for celebrating friendship in the past, the first ever attempt was in 1930 in America where a friendship day was set for August 2nd but failed to gain popularity due to resistance from the public who saw it as a gimmick to get them to buy greeting cards. In 1958 in Paraguay, a doctor by the name of Dr. Ramon Artemio proposed the idea of having a day for celebrating friendship while having dinner with friends in Puerto Penasco. This simple meeting is what laid the foundations for the creation of such a day. This dream did come to pass in 2011 when the United Nations General Assembly declared July 30th as the official International Day of Friendship.

The Need for International Day of Friendship

Friendship is the most critical relationship after family and in some instances it even surpasses filial connections. All human beings need a friend by their side, and this starts from a very young age. The friendship grows as people also grow old and the more time they spend together, the bonds that bind friendship becomes even stronger. The challenges humans face every day become lighter when they face them with a companion, and that sense of solidarity plays a huge role in helping most people get through the most difficult of situations. That is the power of friendship, and that is why the International Day of Friendship was set aside to remind people of the importance of friends and to give them an opportunity to sit back and appreciate the value that their friends bring into their lives.

Ways of Celebrating International Day of Friendship

The International Day of Friendship is celebrated in different styles depending in the country and the culture of the people involved. Some opt to hold parties where they get together with their friends and share a meal as they relive some of their memories. In other parts, people present gifts to each other which often relay gratitude through symbolism, something for friends to remember each other. Besides the parties, others take their time to go out camping in the wild with friends for a day and create even better memories and most camping resorts usually offer discounts around this time of the year to enable people to enjoy fully their time with their friends. In some countries huge parades are held in public spaces where all people are invited to come and spend the day outside with their friends at no cost, and they can participate in events and games as well as attending free public concerts.