Friendship Day History

Friendship Day marks the day when the bond of friendship is celebrated. It enables all to reach out to the friends who have stood by us and let them know how special they are.


This day can be celebrated in various ways – by sending wishes over the phone, greeting cards, gifts and phone calls. It is celebrated on a different date across the world.

30th July has been declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations as Friendship Day, even then various countries like India celebrate it on the first Sunday of August.

  • Origin Of Friendship Day

It first began in the year 1935, when the U.S. Congress declared the first Sunday of the month of August as the Friendship Day. Though the main reasons behind the creation of this day is not clear but one the reasons might be the First World War. The catastrophic effects of the war still lingering and the increase of hostile relation between countries might have led to the creation of Friendship Day. It had become a necessity to develop the feeling of friendship not only among the countries but also among people.

With time, this day gained popularity not only in America but across various countries. In modern times the day is celebrated with great enthusiasm between friends. The most popular symbol associated with this day is the ‘Friendship Band’.   

  • Other versions about the origin of Friendship Day:
  • In 1930, the founder of Hallmark Cards, Joyce Hall intended to celebrate the 2nd of August as Friendship Day. It represented a day that would be spent as a holiday to celebrate the bond that friends share.
  • In 1958 on July 20th, Dr. Ramon Artemio Bracho was having dinner with friends in Puerto Pinasco. He proposed the idea of World Friendship Day. This laid the foundation for the World Friendship Crusade and they that 30th July would be celebrated as World Friendship Day.
  • Variations To The Friendship Day

Friendship Day celebrations might differ from country to country according to the local customs and beliefs. The other variations of Friendship Day are:

  • Third Sunday of August is celebrated as Women’s Friendship Day
  • Third Week of May is celebrated as Old Friends, New Friends Week
  • February Month is celebrated as International Friendship month
  • Dates for friendship day in different countries:
  • Argentina: celebrates this day as Friend’s Day on the 20th of July. It is not a holiday but friends, both old and new, gather in the evening and celebrate their bond of friendship.
  • Brazil: also celebrates the 20th of July as Friend’s Day
  • Paraguay: celebrates Friendship Day on the 30th of July, when friends and loved ones exchange gifts. A common custom known as Invisible Friend or Amigo Invisible is still followed. The custom involves small sheets of paper with names being selected secretly by members of the community. On Friendship Day, they give the person whose name is on the paper a gift. It is popular and followed at schools as well as workplace.
  • Peru: In Peru it is known as “El dia del Amigo”. This is celebrated on the first Saturday in July. It was proposed by Pilsen Callao who wanted all to recognize true friendship. Another objective was to make its celebrations different from that of Valentine’s Day.
  • The Ambassador Of Friendship

In honor of the Friendship Day, Winnie the Pooh was declared to be the world’s Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations by Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.

Friendship Day Quotes

Friendship is a treasure that must be cherished always. Let your friends know how much they mean to you with heartfelt friendship day quotes. Here are some lovely quotes of famous people curated by the team at 123NewYear:


  1. “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” – C.S. Lewis
  2. “Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.”  – Henry David Thoreau
  3. “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” – Helen Keller
  4. “Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” – Elie Wiesel
  5. “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” – Muhammad Ali
  6. “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” – Amy Poehler
  7. “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” – William Shakespeare
  8. “The great thing about new friends is that they bring new energy to your soul.”  – Shanna Rodriguez
  9. “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”  – Albert Camus
  10. “It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.” – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  11. “Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit.” – Aristotle
  12. “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” – Oprah Winfrey
  13. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature.” – Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
  14. “Friendship is delicate as a glass, once broken it can be fixed but there will always be cracks.” – Waqar Ahmed
  15. “Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant.” – Socrates
  16. “True friends are like diamonds – bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.” – Nicole Richie
  17. “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself  – and especially to feel, or not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at any moment is fine with them. That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is.” – Jim Morrison
  18. “Friends should be like books, few, but hand-selected.”- C.J. Langenhoven
  19. “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” – Elizabeth Foley
  20. “There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” – Linda Grayson
  21. “A friend is someone who makes it easy to believe in yourself.” – Heidi Wills
  22. “If you wanna find out who’s a true friend, screw up or go through a challenging time … then see who sticks around.” – Karen Salmonsohn
  23. “The best mirror is an old friend.” – George Herbert
  24. “Some souls just understand each other upon meeting.” – N.R. Hart
  25. “Friends are medicine for a wounded heart, and vitamins for a hopeful soul.” – Steve Maraboli
  26. “In my friend, I find a second self.” – Isabel Norton
  27. “One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca
  28. “The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when.” – Simon Sinek
  29. “I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.” – Charles R. Swindoll

Friendship Day Messages

Friends are a blessing, who stand by us through thick and thin, Friendship Day gives you a great chance to thank them and make them smile. Here are some great friendship day messages from 123NewYear to help you do that:


  1. Here are some wishes that are hopefully as the chocolate that you love. Happy Friendship Day!
  2. Friends are the ones who keep you on the move and help out in tough situations. Happy Friendship Day
  3. It is a privilege to have you as my friend. Hope our bond grows stronger each year. Happy Friendship Day
  4. Our friendship is like a tree whose height cannot be measured and depth of roots cannot be measured. May it continue to grow as we nurture it. HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!!!
  5. The test of time can be difficult but our friendship has stood first in the test. Hope it can stand many more such tests. Happy Friendship Day!
  6. As each season passes, life steers ahead. Through each season our friendship steers past all difficulties and continues to blossom. Cheers to our friendship. Happy Friendship Day!
  7. We have been and plan to stay friends forever. You have been the sister I never had. Happy Friendship Day to my best friend!
  8. We have had our share of fights and made up each time, which became our routine. Seasons might change but our friendship stays the same. May it grow stronger with each passing routine. Happy Friendship Day
  9. I cannot even start to express the joy that I feel about having a friend like you. Happy Friendship Day Mate!
  10. We have shared laughter and tears. Having a friend like you has been a blessing. Happy Friendship Day.
  11. Time spend together will always be cherished by me. We might be afar but remember that we will always Happy Friendship Day Mate.
  12. Friendship is truly the birth of a very special relationship. Let our friendship grow stronger. Wishing my best friend a happy Friendship Day
  13. Meeting you gave birth to one of the most special relations in the world – Friendship. Hope that it can gain the strength to get past barriers that might pop up. Dear friend, Happy Friendship day.
  14. Your friendship has opened a new world in front of my eyes and helped me see things in a new perspective. By the way the new perspective was awesome. Let’s celebrate this friendship day to celebrate that. Oh and our friendship too. Cheers Mate! Be the mad friend that you have always been. Happy Friendship Day
  15. Hearts are joined by love but the heart is joined with the heartbeat due to friendship. You are my heartbeat. Happy Friendship Day
  16. Your belief is what helped me through the tough times. A friend like you is truly a blessing. Love you with all my heart. Happy Friendship Day!
  17. You have touched my heart and captured a huge portion of it. Thanks for being an amazing friend. Happy Friendship Day
  18. Friendship is a language that cannot be spoken but felt through feelings. Your friendship taught me that. Your actions have always left a deep and positive impression in my life. Happy Friendship Day
  19. Our friendship is the like the circle, it has no end. We might be distances apart but will always stay connected. Cheers to our friendship. Happy Friendship Day
  20. You could have left me alone. You need not have stayed to comfort me. I knew you had other more important business but you stayed and took care of me when I needed support and love. You are a friend who has been my pillar of support and I cannot thank you enough. Happy Friendship Day
  21. When I was down and depressed, you were the angel who came and lifted me out of the depression. Thank you for being the best friend I could have had. Promise to be your angel when you need me. Happy Friendship Day
  22. Crazy nights, stupid fights, best kept secrets and teary make ups. Yup that about sums up our friendship. Cheers to more craziness and fun. Happy Friendship Day.
  23. The times we spent together since childhood will always remind us how crazy we were. Do not worry I do not plan to stop the craziness and am pretty sure you will also be the same. Let’s stay like this. Happy Friendship Day.

Friendship Day Wishes

Friendship Day Wishes are a great way to celebrate the beautiful relationship shared between friends. Tease and stun your friends with wishes that are sure to make them laugh and smile.


Or perhaps you could express lovely sentiments. Words cannot be enough to understand the feelings that run deep but the wishes from 123NewYear may help you get there:

  1. Through thick and thin, you have stayed my best friend. Let us celebrate that on this friendship day. Happy Friendship Day, Buddy
  2. Flowers may wilt away, candles may melt but our friendship will do neither of those. It will stay fresh and keep burning in our hearts, making our friendship stronger. Happy Friendship Day
  3. I never knew what friendship was before I met you. You have taught me what true friendship is and what it feels like to have a true friend. Happy Friendship Day
  4. You friendship is as sweet as chocolate and has filled my life with the sweetness. May our friendship stay like this always. Happy Friendship Day
  5. Sending you warm wishes on this Friendship Day. Hope you will always stay happy and healthy. Happy Friendship Day, buddy!
  6. Expressing feelings was never my strong point, but let me seize the opportunity to let you know – You are my Best Friend and will always be so! Happy Friendship Day buddy.
  7. Friendship always brings out the positive character but a true friend will never judge you for your negatives. They accept you the way you are and improve you the best way they can. I am so lucky to have one – you. Happy Friendship Day and thank you for making me a better person.
  8. We have shared secrets and talked well into the night about new and shattered dreams. Wishing the sweetest friend in the world a happy friendship day.
  9. When everything seemed to go downhill for me, I looked and found only one person standing by me, my friend. Cheers for understanding me and picking me up, giving me the courage to face the world. Wishing my best friend a happy friendship day.
  10. Thank you for coming into my life and filling it with sunshine. You have made me laugh and smile. Thank you for being a lovely friend. Happy Friendship Day.
  11. Through life it has been difficult for me to find a friend, whom I could count on in difficult times. So when I found you, I held on and you let me hold on. For the most wonderful friend, Happy Friendship Day.
  12. Finding a loving, understanding and caring friend can be difficult. I am lucky to have found that in a friend like you. Wishing my true friend Happy Friendship Day
  13. Friends might care for each other but best friend is one who lets you know your shortcomings on the face. You have done that to make me a better person. Happy Friendship Day!
  14. We understand each other so well that it seems we are connected via telepathy. It might seem strange to others but we love it. Wishing my best friend, Happy Friendship Day.
  15. We have been friends since school and now that we have grown up, people expect us to do away with our childish behavior. But we will continue to laugh like mad people and fight like children. Cheers to our mad friendship. Happy Friendship Day!
  16. When we have a true friend then we don’t need a reason to stay happy, they help us to stay happy and keep smiling.  So I think that explains why I stay happy always since the day we became friends. Thank you and love you buddy. Happy Friendship Day!
  17. With time we might drift apart due to geographic distances but remember that we will always stay connected. Our friendship will never reach an end as we stay friends forever. Happy Friendship Day!
  18. We might seem busy and not get the time to talk but you will always be my best friend. Happy Friendship Day!
  19. You are the friend who filled my life with hope and love. You are truly a friend in need. Happy Friendship Day dear!
  20. Today is friendship day but I am not going to send you any fuzzy wishes. All you get is my friendship and love. Cheers to our friendship and the madness that we share. Happy Friendship Day!

Best Friends Day

The National Best Friends Day is celebrated every year on 8th of June. This day is celebrated in  the honor of that one person in our life who stands by us through thick and thin, a person who makes us smile when life is not at its best and who is there to wipe away our tears at the time of heartbreaks.


It is to celebrate the presence of that special person in our life who is more of a guiding angel and the one who also makes us do craziest of things that make the best of memories.

This day is celebrated in the honor of none other than our best friend or our better half as we may call them in order to appreciate their constant effort of making our life a lot more easier and of course colorful.

It is a day to show them how much they mean to us and without their presence our life wouldn’t be the same. Though we don’t need a special day to celebrate this beautiful bond shared between two souls but celebrating this day has been an age old tradition as just like our parents, our best friend also plays a very important role in our life.

This day is similar to that of the National Friendship Day celebrated on the 7th of August every year. Let us now take a glance at the history and celebrations that mark the day.

History

Every special day no matter where is it being celebrated or who is celebrating it, has an origin. There are historical events behind the initiation of celebration on that particular day or maybe religious belief behind its observance. However the Best Friends Day has no such creator or origin. No studies or research have been able to find the root of incidents that led to the initiation of celebration of this particular day. For centuries people have been celebrating this day on the 8th of June in order to appreciate all the efforts made by a best friend and to just thank them wholeheartedly for being a constant support system.

Celebration

Spending a day without our best friend by our side can seem to be an eternity. We need their consent before making every decision no matter how big or small it is. For us every day is a Best Friends Day however peoples from all over the world make some extra efforts to make their best friend feel special on this day. Celebrating this day is generally more common among the teenagers. They go for a wild night out on this day while many of them also prefer to spend the night at their best friend’s place and do crazy stuff together. Going out for lunch or dinner is also common. People might even go for long walks or just sit by a roadside café along with their best friend and go down the memory lane. Many people who live in a different city from that of their best friend’s take out time from their busy schedules to call up or Skype with their better halves on this day. Some people might stay in and have a back to back television series marathon.

Friendship Day in India

Friendship Day in India is a day dedicated in the honor of friends and friendship. Although it has been celebrated for many years in certain countries of South America, especially in Paraguay, the concept is fairly new in India, and it has found strong roots among the youths of the country in particular.


Evidence shows that the influence of the world of the web has direct impact on spreading awareness about this event, and, as such, this event is more popular in the urban areas as compared to the rural or suburban places.

Digital communication modes and the Social Media furthered what was founded by the Greeting Card and Gifting companies. The popular traditions include exchanging wrist bands, small gift items, cards, flowers or chocolates. Although there is a different date set aside for International Friendship Day, in India it is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month of August.

Background of Friendship Day:

Friendship Day is often celebrated on a different day in different countries. The fWorld Friendship Day was proposed for the first time on 30th of July 1958. However, it was only in the year 2011 on the 27th day of April that the General Assembly of the United Nations declared the date to be the official International Friendship Day. However some countries like India celebrate the occasion on the first Sunday of the month of August. In Oberlin, Ohio, 8th of April each year is honored as the Friendship Day.

That a day needs to be identified for celebrating the bonds of friendship was first promoted by Joyce Hall who was the founder of Hallmark cards. In 1930 he intended to mark the day of 2nd August as Friendship Day when people would send cards to friends to mark their friendship. He carefully chose the date of 2nd August since that was in the middle of the lull period between two holiday celebrations. Although Friendship Day was promoted earlier in the 1920s by the Nation Association of Greeting Cards, the movement met with resistance from the consumers who refused to be influenced by this obvious gimmick to sell more cards. By the 1940s this trend dwindled in the USA. In Europe there is no evidence of such uprising, although many Asian countries have adopted this.

Friendship Day in India
 

Friendship Day in India

 

The idea to promote a date as The World Friendship Day was first proposed by Dr. Artemio Bracho on the 20th day of July 1958 while he was having dinner with his friends in Puerto Pinasco, a town in Paraguay. From the cozy dinner between friends was born the World Friendship Crusade that aimed to promote friendship and fellowship between all human beings without any discrimination of race, color or religion. Since then Paraguay has celebrated 30th of July each year as Friendship Day, which was adopted in several other countries too later. The World Friendship Crusade was also responsible for lobbying in the United States to designate July 30 as the International Day of Friendship.

In 1998, Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, backed by the U.N. Department of Public Information and Disney Enterprises, proposed to have Winnie the Pooh to be the Ambassador of Friendship at the UN. This was co hosted by Kathy Lee Gifford. Finally on 27th July 2011 the 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly declared that July 30 would be designated as the “International Day of Friendship”. However, many countries including India have adopted the custom of celebrating this day on the first Sunday of August.

Date of Friendship Day in the Next Five Years:

In India, Friendship Day is celebrated in accordance with the prevalent customs in the United States of America, and also in the United Kingdom on the first Sunday of the month of August, each year.

Public life on Friendship Day in India:

Although the celebrations of Friendship Day have caught up with people in India, there is no change in public life in India. All retails and businesses are open on this day. Public transportation system operates normally on this day. The only hitch that a person may face is a high waiting time in certain places like restaurants, theatres etc. The day is mainly celebrated by connecting and spending time with friends and exchanging small gifts.

Celebrations in India:

The idea of dedicating one day to friends and friendship has caught up in India, especially among the youth. From weeks earlier commercials lure people to buy gifts and cards for their friends to mark the occasion. Restaurants, spas, salons etc mark special discounts to ring up their sale. Even some retailers give out discounts on small gift items like perfumes, toys, toiletries, stationeries etc. Some clubs and restaurants also organize for Friendship Day parties to make the event full of fun and excitement.

Those who celebrate this occasion in India mostly spend the day in company of their friends getting nostalgic about sweet memories they have shared that have made their bonding so beautiful, and also catching up about the latest on the block. Apart from that, the era of digital communication has made long distance friendship more expressive as there are plethora of e-card, SMS and similar other options to reach out to one’s friend on this day. In some schools and colleges the day is celebrated by organizing fun games or shows. There is also a custom of exchanging friendship band on this day. Apart from that, some people also share small gifts like chocolates or flowers or greeting cards to mark the occasion.