This day as the name suggests is aimed at celebrating the essence of friendship. People have always valued their friends greatly and hence it was thought fit to allocate a day to honor friends and friendship.

So, a proclamation was made by the US Congress which declared the first Sunday of August to be a holiday every year. This was decided to be the World Friendship Day. The first World Friendship Day was proposed in Paraguay after which it spread to several other countries across the world.

Friendship day celebrations occur on different dates in different countries. On 27^th of April, 2011, in the 65^th session, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared the 30^th of July to be celebrated as the International Friendship Day.

In spite of this, many countries still observe Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August.

History
The first friendship day was originated by the founder of Hallmark cards, Joyce Hall in 1930 and the celebrations were intended to be held on 2^nd of August. The idea of a World Friendship Day was first raised by Dr. Ramon Artemio Bracho on 20^th of July, 1958 while having dinner with his friends in the town of Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay.

After this dinner, the World Friendship Crusade was born which is a foundation that encourages friendship among all humans irrespective of race, color or religion. After that, 30^th of July has been strictly observed as Friendship day in Paraguay and several other countries as well. The declaration of the United Nations was also instigated by the World Friendship Crusade and after many years of efforts, finally the UN designated 30^th of July as the International Day of Friendship.

Dates Observed By Different Countries As World Friendship Day

• • Argentina- Here, friendship day is celebrated on the 20^th of July each year and is celebrated by gathering with friends both old and new. Seats in majority of the bars and restaurants are entirely pre booked a week prior to the celebration.

 

• • Paraguay- Friendship day is celebrated on the 30^th of July and is used to give presents to near and dear ones. The game of the Invisible Friend is a tradition of this day.

 

• • Ohio- Here, Friendship day is celebrated on the 8^th of April every year.

 

• • India- It is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month of August.

 

Celebration
In tune with the spirit of the occasion, people choose to spend the entire day in the company of their dearest friends, recollecting past memories and catching up with their present lives over food and drinks. Friends, who are separated by geographical borders, call up each other or send SMS and e-cards to greet warmly and express their love.

Children engage in making friendship day cards or other handmade gifts for their friends. Several events are organized in schools and colleges to mark this fun occasion. Tying of Friendship bands or bracelets as a symbol of friendship is a prevalent activity on this day.

Friendship day parties are also quite common nowadays as discs and pubs can be seen filled with youths on this day. This not only allows them to dance and sing with their friends and have a good time but also gives them a chance to meet people and make new friends.

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