Friendship Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the bond of friendship between individuals. It is observed on different dates in various countries, typically on the first Sunday of August. On this day, people express appreciation and affection for their friends, often through exchanging gifts, cards, and spending time together. It’s a time to cherish and honor the special connections and companionship that friendships bring to our lives.
What is the history of Friendship Day?
Friendship Day, which was originally founded by Hallmark Cards, Inc. in 1919, was initially intended to be a day for people to celebrate their friendships by sending each other cards. Then in 1930, Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, Inc. attempted to revive the concept, but many felt that the holiday was solely created for the sole purpose of selling more greeting cards, as the greeting card national association had tried to promote the idea throughout the 20s and 30s.
Social media has revived the holiday since it’s gimmicky days, since users enjoy sharing Friendship Day images with each other on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Some additional historical fun facts:
- The Beatles’ song “With a Little Help from My Friends” was released in 1967 in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of World Friendship Day.
- In 1998, Nane Annan, the wife of Kofi Annan (who was the UN Secretary General at the time) named Winnie the Pooh the world’s Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations.
- In 1999, the Memphis, Tennessee Kappa Delta sorority initiated National Women’s Friendship Day, which is celebrated on the third Sunday in September to recognize women’s female friends.
How can you celebrate Friendship Day?
There are tons of ways to show appreciation for your friends on Friendship Day. Here are 10 to get you started.
1. Share a photo collage of you and your friend on social media
Collect a bunch of photos of you and your friend or friends together and share a collage on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. This can be a fun way of reminiscing about all of your time together and remembering the many reasons why you appreciate your friend so much. And you can show that appreciation by sharing the photos with the world (or, at least, your online social network!).
2. Send your friend flowers
Send your friend flowers with a note that lets them know how grateful you are for them. You can pick up flowers and deliver them yourself, or you can send flowers through online services such as 1800 Flowers or Pro Flowers, among many others.
3. Share a meal with your friend
Treat your friend to a meal where you can catch up on life. Take them out for lunch or dinner — perhaps to their favorite restaurant or to a spot where you always used to go for old times’ sake. Maybe you met internationally, and you decide to treat them to a dinner with cuisine from the country in which you met each other. Whatever the case, make the meal more special than your typical afternoon or evening grabbing a bite.
4. Cheers your friend with some champagne
Pop some champagne and say cheers to celebrate your friend. If you’re out with a group of friends, maybe you want to order a round of drinks and give a quick toast to let your crew know how much you love them and remind them of why.
5. Take a trip with your friend
If you have the time off in August, take a trip with your friend to celebrate Friendship Day. Even if you only have the weekend of Friendship Day, spend it somewhere relaxing or exciting with your friend or group of friends. Take a few days to spend quality time together.
6. Give your friend a Friendship Day gift
Give your friend a gift on Friendship Day! Maybe it’s a small trinket, a piece of jewelry, chocolates or concert tickets. Whatever it is, it’s the thought that counts — the sentiment that you’re grateful for them.
7. Tell your friend how much you appreciate them
You don’t need to go out to a fancy meal or take a trip or buy your friend a gift or spend any money at all. Also, You can — and should — tell your friend how much you appreciate them. You can say this in three words: I love you! It’s as simple as that.
8. Lend your friend a helping hand
Show your friend how much you appreciate all of their help and support throughout your friendship by offering to lend them a hand with something with which they need help on Friendship Day (or any day, of course!).
9. Start a tradition with your friend
If you don’t already have a tradition with your friend for Friendship Day, perhaps you want to start one. It doesn’t need to be anything super creative; you can just start a tradition that you go to one of your house’s to crack open a bottle of wine and cook together. Or maybe you have a potluck with a group of your friends. Maybe it’s the one night you all actually get together to go out dancing, no excuses.
10. Send your friend a Friendship Day card
Of course, you can always send a simple card — don’t worry, we’re not pushing the gimmick! But cards (and letters!) are nice to receive.
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