International Friendship Day

International Friendship Day celebrations take place on the 4 January every year. On this day, people spend time with their friends and express love for them. The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards, and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.

History

In 1935, the United States Congress proclaimed the 1st Sunday of August as National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event.

Many other countries around the world adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship. Today, Friendship Day is enthusiastically celebrated by many nations.

Celebrating

Many friends wish each other with exchange of gifts and cards on this day. "Friendship bands" are very popular in India, Nepal and parts of South America. Members of social networking sites celebrate Friendship Day on-line.

You do not have to buy a gift or spend money to enjoy Friendship Day. This avoids accusations the fun is only a "marketing gimmick".

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations, and civil society groups to hold events, activities, and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community toward promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding, and reconciliation.

Other traditions
Día del Amigo (Spanish: "Friend's Day"), a celebration of friendship, held annually on 20 July mainly in Argentina and Uruguay, but also in some other countries.
Dia do Amigo (Portuguese: "Friend's Day"), celebration happens on 18 April because on 20 July, they celebrate International Friendship Day.

References

Other websites

Category:January observances