Celebrating Friendship Day for Lifelong Memories

Friendship is an everlasting bond built on the foundation of trust, laughter, and love. Some say friends are the family you choose and it holds true in every sense. It's funny how one picks up a few people and decides to stick to them for life. People may think it's random but one chooses their friends as per their vibes.

A friend is someone who makes you laugh, cries with you, who is there in your good and bad times, or when you need someone to just make you feel better. Friends play a very important role in one’s life for all the support they provide. Humans cannot function in isolation and need people to share their feelings with and friends are the perfect escape.

Antiquity Of Friendship Day

Everyone loves to celebrate Friendship Day, but most people don't how did it originate. Honouring friendships has been a tradition since 1919 which was just after World War I. It wasn't a declared as a tradition until 1935. The US congress dedicated a day to honour friendships and chose the first Sunday of every August for this celebration. Although the exact reason for this declaration is unknown, it is believed that it was the result of devastating effects by the First World War. It was believed that this initiative would improve the friendships between countries and deteriorate the enmity & distrust created by the World War.

Many people believe that Friendship Day was originated by Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark in 1930, and thereafter the US congress adopted it.

Friendship Day Facts

• In 1997, Nane Annan,  wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations. 
• This tradition was extended to celebrate Women’s friendships in 2009 and now the entire month of September is celebrated as Women’s Friendship Day.
• India adopted the idea of celebrating friendships way back then it was declared as Friendship Day. The notion has been appreciated since the time of Great Mahabharata, with the heart touching tales of Lord Krishna & Sudama.
• The entire month of February is celebrated as the International Month of Friendship, however, the popular tradition of Valentine’s overshadows it.
• Different countries celebrate Friendship Day on different dates like- Brazil, Argentina & Spain on 20th July, Bolivia on 23rd July, Paraguay on 30th July and countries like Ecuador, Mexico & Venezuela celebrated Friendship Day on 14th February.
• Inspired by Friendship Day, an entire weekend is dedicated to the protection of animal rights. Best Friend’s Animal Society promoted the idea of celebrating your friendship with animals every year from June 23 to June 25, wherein the first day of the weekend is called Best Friend’s Day.
• Every religious book has texts which favour the celebration of Friendship, like The Bible & Mahabharata.
• The famous band Beatles released their popular song “With a Little Help from My Friends” in 1967 to mark the 10th-anniversary celebrations of International Friendship Day.
• The main idea of celebrating Friendship Day is to eliminate barriers or race, caste, religion, age, nationality and anything which creates segregates humans and promotes discrimination.

Friendship Day Around The Globe

The main concept of Friendship Day was to banish the differences and promote humanity. This is the reason why Friendship Day is celebrated the same around the globe. People party with their friends, exchange friendship bands, exchange chocolates & gifts, just hang out with their friends, dedicate songs to their friends, and send messages to their friends telling how much they mean to them.

Why To Celebrate Friendship Day?

Friends are the only people in one’s life which they can choose. Celebrating friendships is not just one-day fiesta, but about valuing your friends each day of the year. However, celebrating Friendship Day is very important.

There are different kind of Friendships one has. It can be your Parents, Pets, Classmates, Colleagues, Neighborhood, Online Friends or even someone you met at the coffee shop. Since every friend has a value, there is a need to appreciate those friendships and let them know how grateful you are for having them in your life.

Celebrations not only give us a chance to appreciate them but create someone beautiful memories which last a lifetime.

Lord Krishna demonstrated the shades of Friendship as guidance, brotherhood, romance, affection, protection, intimacy and even testing. To keep up with the tradition and beauty of friendships, this day is celebrated enthusiastically by the world.

So, there is no right or wrong way to celebrate this day. Just doing something with your friends or even reminding them their worth in your life is considered as commemorating the day.