Have you ever wondered what is the true meaning of the word friends? Well, I am not talking about the dictionary definition, but this is how it felt to me.
From the heavens, you have come to
Remove me out of all the problems
Intimacy between us is inseparable.
Endless stories we have shared
Not a single moment betraying or
Deceiving each other. You are the
Siblings God forgot to give me….
Are you aware that, there is an international day to celebrate our loving friends? Yes, there is such a day.
International Friendship Day is a day for celebration to mark friendships from all over the globe, near or far. International Day of Friendship and connecting are synonymous with bonding with one another and sometimes building this bond can go beyond sharing characteristics, traits, or having a cup of coffee with your favorite person or group but which also includes promoting a global commitment and understanding of kindness and humanity. Even in our differences, we can find common grounds but that can certainly never be a reason to separate people. International Friendship Day is celebrated on July 30th of 2020.
How did the International Day of Friendship come into existence?
National Friendship Day was originally founded by Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark in 1930. It was intended to be a day for people to celebrate their friendship. However, by 1940, it died out completely. Somehow the commercials of friendship day have led to dismissive content which was used as a marketing gimmick. Although the exact reason for the celebration of friendship is still unknown, the need for it was felt after the disastrous effects of the First World War. Before the UN made its designation, the very first World Friendship Day was proposed in 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade, which is an international civil organization that campaigns to foster peaceful culture through friendships.
The tradition came about when the US congress decided to dedicate a day for friendship, which was followed by the proposal initiated by UNESCO and taken up by the UN General Assembly in 1997. Then in 1998 Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan ‘Winnie the Pooh’ was named the world’s ambassador of friendship at the United Nations. In 2011, the United Nations officially recognized 30th July as International Friendship Day, though some countries celebrate it on the first Sunday of August including India. It was decided to forge a strong bond of friendship among people around the world, irrespective of race, religion, color, gender, and ethnicity.
International day of friendship activities
Meet a friend for lunch, dinner, or happy hour
Have friends you haven’t seen in a while? Or, perhaps some with whom you only do the same activities over and again. Why not change things up and plan a casual outing with friends for International Day of Friendship, to make new memories and share a few laughs.
Attend a community cultural celebration
Is there a community center near you that you’ve been meaning to check out but haven’t yet had the opportunity to do so? This is the perfect opportunity to be able to check out the schedule and attend any events hosted there, meet some new people, and learn about new cultures or lifestyles that already exist within blocks of your front door.
Send a greeting card
Hallmark introduced us to the concept of celebrating friendship, so why not send a note to a few of your friends on International Friendship Day to let them know how important they are to you?
Why we love international friendship day.
It’s a day committed to diversity, inclusion, and appreciation
Inclusivity is a huge part of the day. International Day of Friendship aims to include all and embrace others that may appear different than us.
We get to spend time with the ones we love
Take this moment to be spontaneous with a kind note, or perhaps even heading out to lunch with friends to touch base as a way to celebrate. Most of us connect with people day in and day out, and we cannot think of a better way to commune than to be around those you see most often as a means to observe this day.
There are both big and small ways to celebrate your friendships
Beyond sending cards, you can give flowers or merely spend time with someone important to you. Time is all we have, and once it’s gone we never get it back.
To cap them all here is what the popular singer Justin Bieber had to say about friends.
“Friends are the best to turn to when you’re having a rough day.”
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