Friendship Day

The friendship day is celebrated to commemorate the value of friendship, a special relationship in everyone’s life. It is celebrated across the world on different days. In India, it is celebrated on the first Sunday in August every year. And for 2020, it falls on 2nd August.

The idea of celebrating friendship day was first mooted by Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark cards (manufacturer of greeting cards) in 1930. It was celebrated for a few years and later ignored by people realising that it was a marketing gimmick.

On 20th July 1958, Dr. Ramon Artemio Brach suggested the idea of Friendship Day during a dinner with his friends in Paraguay. It resulted in the World Friendship Crusade, a foundation that promotes friendship among humans, irrespective of race, colour, creed and religion. 

The World Friendship Crusade coaxed the United Nations to recognise 30th July as World Friendship Day. Eventually, on 27th July 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared 30th July as the International Day of Friendship. However, different countries celebrate friendship day on different dates. 

Did you know?

In 1998, Nane Annan, wife of the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s Ambassador of Friendship.