Updated September 23, 2022
International Day of Friendship is an annual event celebrated on 30 July every year. This day is celebrated to mark the importance of friendship and to promote the idea of adopting friendships between different people, backgrounds, countries, and cultures to spread peace and harmony across the world.
Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. Friendship makes the world peaceful and prosperous. In simple words, friendship is a key source to maintaining social harmony and generating passion for a healthy world where all are united.
International Day of Friendship 2022
World Friendship Day, also known as International Day of Friendship is an annual event celebrated on 30 July. Although, countries such as Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, and the United States celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August each year.
This day is celebrated to mark the importance of friends and their values in life and to appreciate and promote the idea of adopting friendships from different backgrounds, countries, and cultures. Bridging the gaps between race, language and culture is the primary focus of the International Day of Friendship.
History of International Day of Friendship
First friendship Day was organised by a person called Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, Inc, in 1930. Joyce Hall wanted this day to be wonderfully celebrated on 2 August, he had created this day as a marketing strategy to boost sales of their greeting cards. However, the idea failed.
Further, the first International Friendship Day was proposed on July 30, 1958, by the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organisation. They ran a campaign to promote a peaceful culture through friendship.
later in 1998, UN (United Nations) Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s wife Nane Annan called Winnie the Pooh (cartoon character) – the world’s Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations. Finally, the UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) on 27 April 2011 designated 30 July as the official International Friendship Day.
Significance of International Day of Friendship
Our societies face many challenges, crises and forces of division such as poverty, violence, human rights abuses, etc. hence, to find solutions, it is fundamental to understand the root cause, Sharing the human spirit through friendship we could defend against these crises.
International Day of Friendship is established by the United Nations General Assembly with the aim that strong bond friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can bring peace and harmony around the world and can build relationships despite differences in cultures.
How to Celebrate International Day of Friendship?
To celebrate the International Day of Friendship, the Unites Nations encourages governments, organizations, and community groups to organise events, activities and initiatives that promote reconciliation, Friendship, human solidarity, and harmony.
There are many ways you can observe International Friendship Day by exchanging greeting cards and friendship band, you can give a hug to your special friends, making gifts for your friends, calling your friends, and watch a movie about friendship with a friend, singing a song for your true friends.
Quotes for International Day of Friendship
(I) Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” — Muhammad Ali
(II) “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” — Anais Nin
(III) “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler
(IV) “Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” — Thomas J. Watson
(V) “Friendship is like a perennial river which flows forever. It may change its path but will never ever dry up.” – Pinaki Prasad Mohanty
(VI) “Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.” – Washington Irving
(VII) “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” — Audrey Hepburn
(VIII) “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” – William Shakespeare
(IX) “A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.” – Arnold H. Glasgow
(X) “Two may talk together under the same roof for many years, yet never really meet, and two others at first speech are old friends.” -Mary Catherwood
(XI) “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival.” -C. S. Lewis
(XII) “I might give my life for my friend, but he had better not ask me to do up a parcel.”-Logan Pearsall Smith
(XIII) “Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life.”-Unknown
(XIV) “The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships.”-Abraham Lincoln
(XV) “The love of my life is the love between friends.”-Unknown
Frequently Asked Questions on International Day of Friendship
Ans: 30 July is celebrated as International Friendship Day.
Ans: To mark the importance of friendship & to promote the idea of adopting friendships between different people, backgrounds, countries, and cultures.
Ans: International Day of Friendship
Ans: Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, Inc, in 1930.